How could my childhood sweetheart be the current empress?

As soon as he finished speaking, the man threw the wine cup into the air. Suddenly, wine spilled from the empty cup, and the air was filled with a faint aroma of wine.

"it is good!"

Seeing this, the people below applauded.

Xu Chengling looked at the tricks in the man's hands and couldn't help but think of magic. The so-called magic is actually just a trick.

The man continued to perform tricks on the stage. He folded a paper crane out of paper. The moment he let it fly, the paper crane turned into a real white crane.

The crowd below cheered, but for Xu Chengling, who was familiar with magic, the so-called tricks actually involved various mechanisms.

But the reason why magic tricks are so enjoyable to watch is not because they are exciting enough to make people applaud, as for how they are done, does it really matter?

After watching the magic show, Xu Chengling and Tongxin left the brothel.

"Wow, my Lord, that performance was so magical. How did he make wine appear from an empty wine glass? And he could actually make a real paper crane out of paper!"

For Tong Xin, who had never seen a magic trick before, the performance just now was full of surprises for her.

"As long as you think it looks good, if you like it, I'll bring you to see it next time."

Xu Chengling smiled slightly. He did not explain the principle of magic to Tongxin. Magic was meant to be performed. As long as it looked good, who would think about how it was performed?

It's like an empty wine glass producing wine. There is a secret door mechanism in the wine glass that turns the paper crane into a real crane. The real crane is also prepared in advance and hidden in the props on the stage.

Even Xu Chengling could perform a few simple magic tricks in front of Tongxin.

"Master, Tong'er is very happy tonight."

Tongxin was walking in front and couldn't help but look back, smiling at him slightly, her smile was as beautiful as a crescent moon.

For Tong Xin, her world is very small and she only lives for one person in her life.

As long as she can be with her master, she is the happiest person in the world.

Xu Chengling reached out and touched her hair, then said to her with a smile:

"Just be happy. Smile more in the future. Look how beautiful you are when you smile."

"If my Lord thinks it's nice, then I'll keep smiling for you."

Tong Xin continued to smile at him, but her deliberately forced smile was uglier than crying.

"You don't have to smile for me on purpose. Smile when you're happy and cry when you're sad. Don't keep it in your heart. Tell me what you want to say. Believe me."

Xu Chengling stroked Tongxin's hair and said that he hoped Tongxin would laugh when she was happy and cry when she was sad, and not keep everything in her heart, so that no one would know.

Before they knew it, the two had returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion.

Returning to the courtyard, Xu Chengling glanced at his room and found that the candle was not on.

My wife is not at home. She is at the Daxia Chamber of Commerce and will not be back tonight.

"Master, how about Tong'er sleep with you tonight?"

Tongxin lowered her head, her pretty face in the darkness was slightly red, yet more beautiful than the darkness itself.

The lady has been in the mansion all this time, and she has never had the chance to serve her master.

Tonight, my wife is not at home.

Xu Chengling thought about it and nodded, but he still said:

"We can just sleep together normally tonight. We can do other things, but I have to save that one thing for that day."

"Well, Tong'er will not embarrass the master anymore."

Tongxin nodded with a red face. Of course she knew what the master was referring to. She also understood that the master did this for her own good.

The master did not want to take away her most precious first time and wanted to keep it in the bridal chamber on their wedding night.

She also understood her master's intentions, so she would not force him to do that to her anymore.

If she could just bear with it a little longer, she would be able to give everything she has to her master.

She had never been so eager for that day to come.

Chapter 286: Go to teach at the Imperial College?

An unexpected guest came to the Xiangguo Mansion today.

Xu Chengling came to the lobby and saw an elegant and easy-going white-haired old man who had been waiting there for a long time.

"Oh, Lord Xiangguo, you are finally here. I have been waiting for you here for a long time."

The old man came up to him and greeted him.

Xu Chengling looked at the old man's clothes and recognized his identity from the tone of his voice.

Isn’t this the Grand Secretary Su from the Imperial Palace? I’ve met him once before at Yueyang Tower.

"Master Su, why are you here?"

Xu Chengling was a little surprised. Scholar Su was currently the chief academic officer of the Imperial College and he usually taught the students in the Imperial College.

In the words of Su Daxueshi himself, he doesn't have many years left to live, and his knowledge needs successors.

"Mr. Xiangguo, I came here to ask for a favor. I would like to invite you to teach at the Imperial Academy for a day."

Scholar Su directly stated the purpose of his visit.

"You want me to teach? Is there no other teacher in the Imperial Academy?"

Xu Chengling was a little confused. Why did he need help with this matter?

Su Daxueshi shook his head, sighed and said:

"That's not the case. It's just that the teachers in the Imperial College are old and can't keep up with the thinking of young people. So I want to ask the Prime Minister to teach for a day to try out the effect."

"Do I look like someone who can teach?"

"Haha, everyone can see the knowledge of the Prime Minister. The Yueyang Tower Record that you wrote on the Yueyang Tower has been used in the textbook, and it is signed with your name."

"Ah this..."

Xu Chengling was stunned. He didn't expect that the classical Chinese text he copied casually was actually used in Dayan's textbook, and it was signed with his name.

Perhaps when those students opened their textbooks and saw a person named Xu Chengling, they probably didn't know who that person was.

"Well, then I'll go to the Imperial College and teach for a day and see how it goes."

Xu Chengling thought about it and agreed to Su Daxueshi's request.

Scholar Su was a popular figure around the empress, so it would be a good idea to have a good relationship with him, and he also wanted to try what it felt like to teach and educate people.

So he took the carriage of Su Daxueshi and went to the Imperial College.

The Imperial College is the highest institution of learning in Dayan. The students there are called "jiansheng". The Imperial College accepts students from all over Dayan and plays an active role in cultivating future talents.

Arriving at the Imperial College, Xu Chengling followed Scholar Su and entered this highest institution of learning.

Entering the Imperial College, there were young students wearing green robes. Being able to enter this top institution of learning, most of them will become the future pillars of Dayan when they come out.

In Xu Chengling's view, only by attaching importance to education can we have a future.

Along the way, Xu Chengling saw that many buildings in the Imperial College were old and dilapidated, and the students didn't even have a playground for activities, so he couldn't help but say:

"Mr. Su, the buildings in the Imperial College have been old for many years. Why don't you renovate them? There is also very little space for the students to move around. It's just a small area."

The scholar Su at the side could not help but sigh and said helplessly:

"Mr. Xiangguo, you don't know that Dayan's finances have always been very tight. The budget allocated to the Imperial College every year is not much, and it is all used to pay the teachers monthly wages. There is no surplus for renovation. Just use it while you can."

"It's a little crude, but it's fine as long as it can be used for reading."

Xu Chengling looked thoughtful, and then said:

"Mr. Su, this is why you came to me to teach for a day."

He finally understood why the Grand Scholar Su came to him to teach. It turned out that he wanted him to see the current predicament of the Imperial College and hoped that he could help.

Scholar Su suddenly felt a little embarrassed, but for the sake of the young students in the Imperial College, he was willing to sacrifice his old face.

"Haha, Mr. Xiangguo, I really can't hide it from you. You have seen the current predicament of the Imperial College. It is winter now, but it is as cold inside as outside. The teachers and students can only study hard in the biting cold wind. The hole in the wall has been patched up again and again, but now it is too big to be patched up."

Scholar Su said helplessly.

"Mr. Su, education is the foundation of a country. Everything can be neglected, but education cannot be neglected."

Xu Chengling couldn't help but speak. He looked at those students who still insisted on studying hard in the cold wind and couldn't help but feel a little sympathetic. Even the highest institution of learning was in this situation, not to mention other institutions of learning.

It can be seen that dayan does not attach enough importance to education.

But if you think about it carefully, Dayan is now in a stage of internal and external troubles, with vassal kings at home and powerful enemies abroad. If you want to develop education, you have to take it slowly.

So Xu Chengling couldn't help but say:

"In that case, I will do my best to help the Imperial College. Mr. Su, is 100,000 taels enough? If not, I will give you another 100,000 taels."

"That's enough! One hundred thousand taels is enough!"

Academician Su did not expect Xu Chengling to be so generous. He asked for 100,000 taels right away, and if that was not enough, he asked for another 100,000 taels. This was not just a small amount of help, but a great favor!

Originally, Grand Secretary Su was just trying it out. As the head of the civil servants, the Prime Minister would surely give some money to support him for the sake of Grand Secretary Su.

But he never expected that Xu Chengling attached so much importance to education, considering it the foundation of life, that he directly paid 200,000 taels out of his own pocket to renovate the Imperial College.

Two hundred thousand taels! That's even less than the amount of money allocated to the Imperial College by the national treasury every year. Besides, Academician Su also has the ambition of a scholar. One hundred thousand taels is enough for him, and he cannot take the other one.

Scholar Su couldn't help but hold Xu Chengling's hand tightly, and said to him with an extremely moved face:

"Thank you so much, Prime Minister. You are the savior of the Imperial College. The Imperial College will never forget your kindness. When the Imperial College is renovated, I will have someone erect a statue for you and place it in the center of the Imperial College."

"Mr. Su, it's not that serious. It's just a mere 100,000 taels. Please pay attention to the education of future talents. They will be the pillars of Dayan in the future. Only by paying attention to education can Dayan have a future."

Xu Chengling said seriously to Su Daxueshi.

"Well, I, the old man, will keep these words of the Prime Minister in mind."

Scholar Su was so moved by his words that he couldn't help but shed tears.

Xu Chengling shook his head somewhat embarrassedly. Although one hundred thousand taels was nothing to him, for the current Imperial College, it was like a timely help.

"Mr. Su, I'm not really good at teaching. I'll just walk around the Imperial College."

Xu Chengling thought for a while and said that he actually didn’t know how to teach, and it would be bad if he misled the students.

"Well, Lord Xiangguo, please walk around."

Scholar Su nodded. He had originally asked Xu Chengling to come to the Imperial College for other purposes.

Xu Chengling came to the Imperial College for another reason, to meet someone, so he couldn't help but ask the Grand Secretary Su:

"Mr. Su, do you have a student named Xu Xiqian here?"

"Xu Xiqian? It seems there is such a person. Let me think about it."

Scholar Su couldn't help but frowned. The name sounded very familiar. He remembered that there seemed to be a student named Xu Xiqian in the Imperial College.

"Wait, Xu Xiqian... Is she your sister, the Prime Minister?"

At this moment, Academician Su suddenly thought of something. No wonder he felt that the name was familiar. Isn’t Xu Xiqian the daughter of the old prime minister?

It’s no wonder that Academician Su didn’t remember that the old prime minister did have a daughter, but she rarely left home, and very few people knew about it.

Even the great scholar Su had only seen the name Xu Xiqian by chance, and did not think of anything else at the time. After all, there were many people with the same surname in the capital.

"Well, she is indeed my sister. She has been in the Imperial College for almost a year now."

Xu Chengling nodded and said, Xu Xiqian entered the Imperial College after the New Year, and if you count some days, it has been almost a year.

He hasn't seen this girl for almost a year. He used to see her all the time, but now he suddenly can't see her anymore. He misses her a little.

Scholar Su looked through his memories. As the chief academic officer of the Imperial College, he remembered the name of every student and knew which classroom they were in.

Soon, Su Daxueshi remembered the classroom where Xu Xiqian was, and immediately said to Xu Chengling:

"Master Xiangguo, please come with me. It should be almost time for the get out of class to end. They have all come out."

Chapter 287: Stop Fighting