Reborn in America, I am a legendary short seller on Wall Street.

Chapter 294 Unexpectedly solved the problem of getting into university

When I saw Mr. Yung Wing again, he was sitting at the Eight Immortals table, still with that indifferent and solemn expression, as if he had seen the turbulent history and the changing times, and now he had returned to being a guardian beast in the underworld, with only persistence and composure left.

"Good morning, Mr. Rong." Larry sat down directly in the seat next to him.

Yung Wing glanced at him and got straight to the point, “I’ve already spoken with Dean Christopher Columbus Landell of Harvard Law School. He said he’s very interested in Huang Meitang’s case, but he also said he doesn’t understand why I’m so fixated on this lawsuit that’s bound to be lost. I told him it’s because I’m Chinese…”

Larry fell silent for a moment. Yung Wing was a rare high-ranking Chinese scholar recognized by the white elites in the United States at this time. He was able to use his influence to help unrelated compatriots. His willingness and persistence were different from his own.

Yung Wing continued, “He was still somewhat hesitant because it involved politics more than legal principles, but I gave him an idea to turn the visit to this trial into a large-scale teaching event, so that the students at Harvard Law School could understand the difference between what they read in books and what they see in the real world through this unprecedented and special criminal case.”

Larry raised an eyebrow, clearly very interested in this, as it involved how to utilize these legal elites. "I'd like to hear more, sir."

“I told him that the manslaughter of a Chinese man was not just a case, but a ‘contract of civilization’,” Yung Wing said, holding the ends of his cane with both hands. “If the law is unwilling to grant procedural justice to the Chinese, then half of the foundation of the United States since its founding has been destroyed.”

Larry nodded. In his previous life, he had heard that the American legal community insisted on "procedural justice," even placing greater emphasis on this fundamental legal principle than the United Kingdom, which is also a common law system.

Previously, I only thought it was a complicated procedure that benefited lawyers, but after Mr. Yung Wing said that, I thought about it more deeply than before.

Because American elites are not entirely driven by human relationships and each has their own ideals, even individual judges, government officials, and lawyers may deviate from the course of their duties due to personal considerations such as money, reputation, or young girls.

However, the shared ideals of this type of elite—such as upholding the balance of power in the United States or adhering to the fundamental principles upon which the nation was founded—can be effectively transformed into a common pursuit. This is also one of the tacit understandings among American elites; just as patriotism, a topic criticized by liberals, has always been a basic consensus among American elites and ordinary people. After the outbreak of World War I, countless famous American figures and college students went to the battlefield.

Of course, there was no such phenomenon of a generation of college graduates rushing to the battlefield during World War II. At that time, not only in the United States, but also globally, elites were divided—because they all reached a consensus that World War I was purely a game of war among the powerful and wealthy, and not worth sacrificing their lives for.

However, this "idealistic" persistence among the elite can indeed be exploited. Just as after the establishment of the Soviet Union, many American elites provided intelligence to the Soviets free of charge; they weren't doing it for money, but out of a sense of idealism.

Larry thought for a moment and continued, "Mr. Rong, I don't know who this person named Landell you are, but since he is the dean of Harvard Law School, isn't he afraid of being accused of interfering with trials or judicial independence?"

Yung Wing smiled slightly, took out his notebook and opened it. "He once said that case law is like experimental data, and that law is a science. But I told him that if the data from case law only comes from the same group of people, hasn't this science already become biased? Chinese people build railways and pay heavy taxes, yet they can't even stand on the witness stand because of their skin color. Isn't this a disgrace to law?"

Of course, what ultimately convinced him was this: if Harvard Law School was willing to demonstrate to the public, in the name of 'legal science,' that it could impartially fill the gaps in legal theory, then it would have the upper hand over Yale Law School! That's why he was tempted and decided to send a group of students to observe the trial.

Larry laughed, thinking to himself, "You should have said this earlier! You kept bringing up legal principles and procedural justice, which left me speechless... If you had said it this way, I would have understood."

“So, Mr. Rong, what should I do to cooperate with you?” Larry asked.

“I heard from Elder Ye that you are a wealthy man here and sympathize with the Chinese. So, before the Chinese receive their share of the profits from your project, please help them advance some funds. When the court hearing is held, arrange for professors and students from Harvard Law School to participate under the guise of providing grants for academic research. That should be enough; I will take care of the rest.”

Larry nodded and said, "That's no problem. Saving lives is the priority. I'll handle everything else. When is the trial scheduled?"

Yung Wing replied, “It will take at least a month. The procedures for collecting evidence in the United States are very slow. What I need to do recently is to expand the influence of this case and to advocate for its expansion. The more attention it receives, the more the Americans will have to follow the principles of procedural justice, which will actually benefit Huang Meitang.”

"You don't just have that idea, do you?" Larry sensed that the other party had other motives, so he simply asked directly.

“Of course,” Yung Wing replied calmly. “The United States is a common law country. I not only want to save people, but also want to create a loophole in the Chinese Exclusion Act through the rulings of American judges. By creating public opinion and hiring colleagues from Harvard Law School, we are also introducing third-party arbitration institutions, and they will extend this legal principle to the whole United States in the future.”

"So, who should be the lawyer hired for Huang Meitang?" Larry asked again.

“I acted as a lawyer myself. I studied law on my own when I was mediating between the Qing Dynasty and the United States a few years ago,” Yung Wing replied.

Larry understood and smiled. "No wonder you're a Yale student, yet you have friends from Harvard."

Yung Wing looked at Larry, a smile spreading across his face, and whispered a secret to him, "Mr. Livingston, if you were my age, you would know that sometimes reputation is an asset. I have a certain reputation in both China and the United States, and as a senior scholar who graduated from Yale, my words naturally carry weight."

Even though others have said the same things, when I say them, people believe me, people take them seriously, and some even grant my requests. That's the benefit that fame brings me.

hiss……

Larry gasped, suddenly realizing that the old man's words made a lot of sense!
I had been trying to hide my true self, always thinking of "disappearing from the public eye," but I forgot that reputation is often a form of protection. Even when facing oppression from powerful figures, having a good reputation can sometimes act as a protective shield!
For example, Lu Xun in later generations, after criticizing everything and everyone, was still too famous for the warlord Chiang Kai-shek to do anything to him.

Another important resource is the high-level connections that come with a good reputation.

You, like Mr. Yung Wing, are over 60 years old. Although he has no money or power and seems to be weak in the United States, and was even repeatedly slighted and mocked by the Qing Dynasty in China, that was only in relation to their grand goal of "Western learning spreading to the East" or "promoting China's modernization".

If Mr. Yung Wing only wanted to make money, protect himself, and use his influence to save a Chinese person, then such a reputation could bring him enormous resources. If it's simply about gaining the ability to protect oneself, or making potential adversaries wary of one's identity and hesitant to attack... then reputation is also a very important "attribute"!

But this conflicts with my philosophy of "developing cautiously and cautiously"... What should I do?
Larry thought for a moment and then sincerely said to Mr. Yung Wing, "Sir, I must confess to you. My plan to find the Senator has failed..." As he spoke, he explained to Yung Wing in detail how he found Huang Meitang's boss, how he tried to persuade him, and how he was rejected because of the Irishman.

Yung Wing was surprised when he heard about this. He wasn't surprised that the senator didn't help, but rather that this young man in front of him was able to strike up a conversation with the senator. Moreover, from the story he told, if Huang Meitang hadn't accidentally killed an Irishman, the senator would most likely have helped Larry...

This is a terrifying potential influence!

After thinking for a moment, Yung Wing slowly said, "I understand... so you can proceed according to my plan, and I will take the lead. Your act of sponsoring Harvard Law School is already very good."

Larry thought to himself, "I'm not showing you weakness out of politeness."

He pretended to think for a few seconds before sincerely asking the old gentleman, "Mr. Rong, you are a renowned scholar at Yale, and an educator who can facilitate exchanges between China and the United States. I have a question. As you can see, I have some talent for business. But mainstream American society only sees this as 'nouveau riche' and doesn't really recognize someone like me."

Furthermore, I've long wanted to attend university and build a reputation. How do you think I should connect with the academic community and take this opportunity to cultivate a good relationship with Harvard Law School? I can afford it; should I try to get myself into Harvard Law School and gain some prestige?

Upon hearing this, Rong Hong did not rush to express his opinion. Instead, he calmly looked at Larry until Larry doubted whether Rong Hong had truly understood him, at which point he suddenly spoke.
"Why become a law student? Wouldn't you gain a better reputation if you went straight into academia?"

"How is that possible?" Larry was stunned and blurted out, "I'm just a young man who doesn't know anything. I occasionally dabble in stocks, but that kind of skill won't be recognized by universities. Getting into Harvard as a student is already the limit; how could they possibly let me become an academic?"

Rong Hong stared at him, his face grave, but after a few seconds he spoke.

“If you can demonstrate your extraordinary talent in Chinese, I am confident that I can introduce you to the president of Yale University and have him help you skip the student stage and become a scholar directly. This is because they are preparing to establish an ‘Asian Institute’ or ‘Oriental Institute’ to study Eastern culture.”

If a native-born white American has an interest in Chinese culture and a natural talent for fluent Chinese, you could quickly become a scholar receiving focused academic attention from a university. In that case, the 'good reputation' you mentioned would naturally follow.

Larry was startled by Yung Wing's words, and sweat instantly beaded on his forehead. A question arose in his mind: How could he know that I could understand Chinese? What the hell? Can this old man read minds?
After thinking quietly for a few seconds, Larry cautiously replied, "...Are you perhaps mistaken? How could I possibly know much Chinese? Or perhaps Huang and I are good friends, but learning a few basic Chinese phrases is already my limit."

Yung Wing remained focused on Larry for a moment before speaking, "You've already made considerable progress, and I think you have a real talent for learning Chinese. Because when I said 'Why did I want to be a law student?' I was speaking Chinese!"

Larry was taken aback, carefully recalling their conversation. Aside from the old man's lack of sportsmanship and his ambush with a Chinese phrase to test him, he still couldn't understand how he had managed to make the old man realize he could speak Chinese.

"How...how did you know that I learned a few Chinese phrases from Huang Meitang?" Larry asked again.

Yung Wing, however, nonchalantly revealed the truth. It turned out that during their first meeting, when Elder Ye introduced Larry Livingston to him in Chinese, he specifically emphasized that Larry was Huang Meitang's "white friend."

But in the ensuing conversation, Yung Wing immediately discovered a surprising fact: Larry had directly introduced himself to Yung Wing, saying, "I am Huang Meitang's white friend!"
This clearly shows that he understood Elder Ye's introduction to him.

Yung Wing later faced many questions from Larry because he keenly realized that Larry understood Chinese but pretended to be just an ordinary "Chinese" white friend without revealing his true intentions.

Hearing this, Larry finally understood why Yung Wing had been so rude to him during their first meeting and had repeatedly scrutinized him directly. It turned out that Yung Wing had already noticed that Larry had given himself away.

Larry weighed the options in his mind for a moment and decided that his ability to speak Chinese could be explained as having a "language talent," a talent that might be considered as extraordinary or even shocking to a devout and conservative Puritan.

But for scholars at Yale or Harvard, there are so many strange geniuses out there. This kind of linguistic talent isn't unusual; it's more likely to be seen as a recognition of someone's ability to be one of us.

“Okay, I have to admit that I learned some Mandarin and Cantonese relatively quickly while dealing with Chinese people. As you said, this may be a kind of language talent… But why are you willing to help me go to Yale and become a scholar directly?” Larry sincerely asked Yung Wing for advice.

Yung Wing said calmly, “I’m old and have met many people in America and China. I can see that you are genuinely working for Huang Meitang. Although I can’t understand your motives, your kindness and sense of justice have touched me. Mr. Livingston, this matter can only benefit you, not harm you.”

After a pause, Yung Wing adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and looked at Larry solemnly, saying,

"The current president of Yale University is Timothy Dwight V, whom I've been working with since I started contacting young Chinese students to study in the US. He previously wanted to establish an Oriental Studies Center and even strongly invited me to go. It would be wonderful if you could go..."

Mr. Livingston, this is a deal. You've been advocating for the Chinese community, and I'll pave a suitable academic path for you. If all goes well, the label of a young, brilliant scholar at Yale will bring you unprecedented prestige, making it easier for you to speak in public and network with other important figures. They'll treat you like a VIP and bestow upon you the 'good reputation' you just desired, the kind that will allow you to integrate into high-level American society.”

Larry nodded. "So, what's on the other end of the deal?"

“Continue to help the Chinese!” Yung Wing’s eyes suddenly turned serious as he looked at Larry with a solemn expression. “We were once the most civilized and enlightened race on this earth, and I firmly believe that we will be again in the future. But now, I need your help to get through this difficult time.”

(End of this chapter)