Chapter 47: Money isn’t everything, but without it, one can’t do anything!
Yao Zheng drank the wine he had just taken in, and coughed it right back out.
His face turned red with irritation!
Lin Beifan quickly reached out his hand and patted Yao’s back gently, saying, “Mr. Yao, drink slower, no rush!”
Yao Zheng gave Lin Beifan an angry glare.
If it wasn’t for this annoying kid’s words, could he have choked on the wine?
“As for why I’m greedy for so much money…”
Lin Beifan opened his hands and smiled slightly, “There’s a saying that goes, ‘Money can’t buy everything, but without money, you can’t do anything!’ Who would complain about having too much money, wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Yao?”
“Hmph! You have so many twisted theories, and I can’t argue with you!” Yao Zheng lifted his wine glass with a gloomy face and said, “I’ll drink to you, and I hope someday you become the person you hate most!”
Lin Beifan lifted his cup happily and said, “I’ll take your good wishes, because I hate rich people!”
Yao Zheng coughed…
“Mr. Yao, why did you choke again?” Lin Beifan asked.
“If you just said one less thing, I’d be fine!”
After drinking a few more glasses of wine, Lin Beifan explained his reason for inviting Yao Zheng.
“Mr. Yao, actually, I came here this time to invite you to teach at the Imperial Academy!”
Yao Zheng stood up in anger, “Lin Beifan, are you trying to humiliate me?”
“What do you mean?” Lin Beifan asked, puzzled.
Yao Zheng angrily said, “We were officials of the same dynasty and on the same level! Now, if you invite me to teach at the National Academy, won’t your subordinates be humiliated?”
Lin Beifan shook his head and smiled, “Mr. Yao, you’re overthinking it! Have you ever seen anyone humiliate you with good wine?”
“What do you mean?” Yao Zheng sat down calmly.
“This is what I mean!” Lin Beifan coughed, “Mr. Yao, you’ve been an official for more than 30 years, and you have a lot of experience in the political arena! Plus, you had been a Censor, responsible for monitoring the behavior of hundreds of officials! Therefore, I want to invite you to teach at the Imperial Academy and impart your thoughts, virtue, and principles of governance to the students.”
Upon hearing this, Yao Zheng was somewhat tempted.
Although he couldn’t be an official anymore, he could still be a teacher!
He could exert some residual warmth and cultivate some good students.
When these students become high officials, it’s also a matter of pride for him!
“Aren’t you afraid that I will train honest officials to deal with you?” Yao Zheng asked.
“That’s exactly what I want!” Lin Beifan smiled.
Yao Zheng said, “Huh?”
Lin Beifan sighed and said with great annoyance, “Because there are too many corrupt officials in the court! Each one is old, cunning and tricky, and I cannot fight them all! So I hope that Mr. Yao can cultivate some honest officials, purify the official environment, fight against those corrupt officials, and make my life more comfortable!”
Yao Zheng gritted his teeth and said, “Don’t worry, I will do my best to train honest and capable officials! I will not only fight against the corrupt officials in the court, but also fight against you!”
Lin Beifan chuckled, “I’ll wait for good news!” After a few more drinks, Lin Beifan left full and satisfied. However, Yao Zheng came out and shouted, “Don’t pack up, put everything back where it was!”
“Sir, why?” Yao’s wife asked in confusion. “We’re not leaving, we’re staying in the capital!” Yao Zheng stood tall, and his murky eyes shone brightly.
Because he found a new goal, a new pursuit!
The next day, Yao Zheng reported to the Imperial Academy, where he was personally received by Lin Beifan and all formalities were taken care of.
This news quickly spread throughout the court, and everyone was stunned!
Yao Zheng, who had resigned from his post, was going to work as a professor at Imperial Academy under Lin Beifan? What kind of divine development was this? Weren’t they fighting each other to the death before? How did they turn foes into friends now?
The rumour spread like wildfire! The Empress heard the news quickly and nodded in satisfaction.
“Sir Lin’s move… is in line with my wishes!” she said.
She had previously angered and dismissed Yao Zheng but had regretted it later. There were not many honest officials like Yao Zheng, but he was too rigid and inflexible, making it difficult to use him.
However, Lin Beifan’s move resolved this perfectly. He invited Yao Zheng to be a professor at the Imperial Academy, allowing him to leave the officialdom but not completely, maintaining her dignity as the Empress.
It also allowed Yao Zheng to use his life experience and knowledge to cultivate some honest officials. If necessary, he could also be promoted and reused. It was a win-win situation with too many benefits!
The Empress was getting more and more excited as she thought about it.
“Among all the civil and military officials, only sir Lin is thinking about me! Moreover, he can put his past grievances aside and use Yao Zheng again. His broad-mindedness is too impressive! I must reward him well!”
