allendalepharm Chapter 356: Less utilitarianism, more sincerity
Chapter 356: Less utilitarianism, more sincerity
"So what? Who cares if they believe it or not? They are definitely trying to recruit people everywhere, not just the merchants in the capital. They are not stupid. But there are only five days. How many people can they recruit?"
The second prince proudly picked up the tea bowl and drank it all in one gulp.
"Your Highness seems to be confident, so I guess the matter has been settled, right?"
The second prince just smiled, and then said meaningfully: "Keep it secret!"
Jiang Youzhen: Haha! Why don't you believe me? Aren't they in the same boat now? If I had known, she would have cheated the Fourth Prince for some more benefits.
"I know you are not a two-faced person, but what's the matter with those two shops?"
"If His Majesty the Fourth Prince insists on giving it to me, then I can't refuse, right? Otherwise, won't he doubt our cooperation?"
The two laughed at the same time, great minds think alike. At this point, the second prince felt a sense of mutual respect for Jiang Youzhen.
The Second Prince and Tong Huaian, who got on the carriage and rushed back to the villa, began to ponder.
"Your Highness, do you think Jiang Youzhen really didn't give advice to the Second Prince? When you asked just now, Jiang Youzhen didn't say it. But after the Second Prince came down, she said it."
After all, Jiang Youzhen has not yet joined the Fourth Prince, and the Second Prince is still watching closely. He and Jiang Youzhen are indeed good friends, but facing such a big event, she is still clear-headed.
"Of course I don't believe it. After Jiang Youzhen said that, I even suspected that my second brother had already begun to win over merchants outside the city. But so what? This method is useful to us. It is better than sitting and waiting for death. We are already later than them, so we should think of a way."
The Fourth Prince's eyes gradually became firm, "Five days later, the fundraising will depend on the strength of the two of us."
He turned and looked at Tong Huaian, "Jiang Youzhen is a little too smooth, and he seems to trust the second brother more."
Tong Huaian's face darkened. This was something he didn't understand. He had known Jiang Youzhen earlier than the Second Prince, and had helped her a lot before. Why did Jiang Youzhen become more and more distant from him?
"According to my observation, this girl values profit, but she values friendship even more. Think carefully, did you have ulterior motives towards her in the beginning, and after she found out, it became difficult for her to be open with you? For a person like her, you should win her heart first. When you are on good terms with her, you should use her less and show more sincerity, so that she will be willing to serve you."
Tong Huaian suddenly realized, and recalled that when he first met Jiang Youzhen, he had been urging her to study hard so that she could serve the Fourth Prince with him.
In fact, Jiang Youzhen realized his intention at that time and felt that he had ulterior motives, right?
"What about the Second Prince? Doesn't he have any other purpose in getting close to Jiang Youzhen?" Tong Huaian asked unwillingly.
The fourth prince shook his head and laughed, "When the second brother first contacted Jiang Youzhen, he came with a purpose. His goal was very clear and he didn't hide it. Jiang Youzhen didn't have high expectations of him, and even thought that as long as he didn't make trouble behind his back, they could cooperate. Think about it yourself, if you don't have expectations, then you won't be disappointed, right?"
He looked at Tong Huaian and said, "You are different. She should still be somewhat sincere towards you, so she has high expectations of you."
"Is she sincere to me? I don't feel that." Tong Huaian said with a wry smile.
The fourth prince looked at Tong Huaian meaningfully, then smiled slightly, "You are confused because you care too much."
Tong Huai'an suddenly felt happy again. The Fourth Prince said, "Be less utilitarian and more sincere to her! If you really want to win her over, it's okay for me to use her, but you have to be sincere."
Seeing Tong Huaian thoughtful, the Fourth Prince nodded with satisfaction.
The next morning, Jiang Youzhen washed up and went to the provincial school. Today was the monthly exam.
"Junior brother, here!" Zhong Wende waved towards Jiang Youzhen.
"Brother, you're here so early." Jiang Youzhen smiled. Although Zhong Wende said that he didn't care about Yue's exam, he actually did care about it in his heart.
"The instructor is here." Zhong Wende was about to say a few words, but when he saw the instructor coming, he immediately returned to his seat.
"Today's exam will include two essays from the Four Books, one policy question, and one five-character eight-rhyme poem. The exam will take four hours. Food will be delivered from the dining hall. No noise, no cheat sheets, and no plagiarism are allowed. If you cheat, you will be expelled from the school, reported to the court, and your official title will be revoked."
So strict? Jiang Youzhen realized that this was a government school, and the system was as strict as the imperial examination.
When everyone heard this, they all rubbed their hands and showed excitement on their faces.
The instructor started handing out the papers, and Jiang Youzhen discovered that they were all sealed in paper tubes, just like the imperial examinations.
When I opened the sealed paper tube, I saw only the titles of two essays from the Four Books.
"We'll take the Four Books exam in the morning, and the rest in the afternoon. The rest of the exam papers will be distributed after lunch. Let's get started!"
Soon, the three instructors and the teacher began to patrol the library. Jiang Youzhen looked at the test questions first. Huh? These two test questions are quite unusual!
He was thinking while grinding the ink. By the time the ink was ground, Jiang Youzhen had sorted out his thoughts.
The three invigilators were all paying attention to Jiang Youzhen, the top scorer in the Wenxian County case. The essay she submitted was also very good, and everyone was waiting to see her performance.
An instructor walked over to Jiang Youzhen and nodded with satisfaction when he saw the beautiful handwriting.
Not to mention anything else, just the beautiful handwriting alone is enough to give it a circle.
Looking at the problem again, the instructor's pupils shrank, and then his eyes were full of admiration.
Not being able to stay there for too long, he walked away. After he left, another instructor came.
At first, Jiang Youzhen just felt that there were always people walking around her, but she did not get distracted and soon became immersed in it.
After this period of study and guidance from Qian Chongen, Jiang Youzhen made rapid progress.
It only took Jiang Youzhen more than an hour to finish the two essays from the Four Books. After copying the last two words, Jiang Youzhen stopped writing and began to check.
The sunset glow in the sky spread out, and the orange-red light shone on Tong Huaian's profile, making it look a little hazy and somewhat beautiful.
It was rare for Jiang Youzhen to come out of the provincial school so early. When she saw Tong Huaian in the carriage, she couldn't help but be a little surprised.
"Brother Huai'an?" Jiang Youzhen walked closer and called out.
"But what's wrong with fundraising?"
This is the only thing Jiang Youzhen could think of when he came to see her in such a hurry.
Tong Huaian smiled slightly, "Why? Do I have to have something to come to you?"
Jiang Youzhen was surprised, "Brother Huai'an is so busy every day, I thought you would never come to visit for no reason!"
"Isn't it a rare day that you have some free time today? Get in the car and I'll take you somewhere."
"Ah? But..." Jiang Youzhen was extremely surprised. Did this guy take the wrong medicine? Why did he come to him for no reason?
Then, before she could finish her words, she was pulled into the carriage by Tong Huaian.