Chapter 323: Censor-in-Chief

Northern Border King, am I not currently serving as the President of your Academy? This still doesn't count as leaving the mountains?

The King, full of mischief, jumped up excitedly from his seat, saying, "What are you saying, Sir? You're a great talent; such a minor President post could never unleash even one ten-thousandth of your abilities!"

Others might say that sounds smooth and oily, but the King, with his flashy little face, made Xie Yuan merely twitch the corner of his mouth.

"Your Highness, just speak plainly—what else do you want me to do?"

The King looked expectant and said, "Censor-in-Chief."

Xie Yuan: ……

Do the feudal states need a Censor-in-Chief?

Is there a Censor-in-Chief?

Then I suppose the position of Chancellor held by Minister Xue is no longer the same as before, even though the two characters are identical.

In the Great Jin dynasty, the Censor-in-Chief is one of the Three Excellencies, responsible for supervision and serving as the Vice Chancellor. He handles officials' memorials and issues imperial edicts, and together with the Grand Commander and the Chancellor he ranks among the Three Excellencies.

In short, the office of Censor-in-Chief should not appear on the roster of feudal state officials. However… one cannot say that, for the Northern Border State now has little relation to the southern court; it is said they have redrawn provincial boundaries and appointed Inspectors.

Xie Yuan calmly said, "Your Highness, you forgot—my clan all reside in Chen Commandery. Should it ever spread that I, in the Northern Border, am taking up the post of Censor-in-Chief, the Great Jin would hardly let the Xie clan off easily."

The King was bewildered: "But Sir, you're currently serving as President of the Northern Border Academy, and you've already offended Bai Li Jin!"

Xie Yuan: "……Can teaching and being a Censor-in-Chief be the same?" Treating Bai Li Jin like dough?!

The King waved his hand calmly: "Tut! Sir, don't overthink it—I can have the Owl Cavalry bring your clan and disciples up to the Northern Border! Our Northern Border has everything awaiting development; its prospects are vast—isn't it more stable and secure than the south?"

The King's little thoughts are not hidden at all.

He also threatened Xie Yuan: "Sir, Chen Commandery still belongs to Bai Li Jin, and soon it will be Bai Li Heng's! I hear the second son has considerable clan support, claiming himself the legitimate heir; if your people from Chen Commandery don't flee, they might become a battlefield."

Xie Yuan could roughly guess the King's little scheme: the officials of the land he just conquered have all vanished cleanly—he intends to replace them with his disciples.

"Your Highness speaks lightly, but the Qingyang Academy and my disciples are spread all over the world—how would they survive if they left their homes to come to the Northern Border?"

The King's eyes sparkled: "I'll arrange work for you!"

Xie Yuan laughed in exasperation.

"So, just to indulge your greed for a single scroll of mine, I must also drag along my entire clan and disciples?"

"Sir, you're mistaken! This is no ordinary scroll—it's a scroll written by the Sage of Writing! It could make scholars worldwide flock to it……Don't ask how it came to be; the script is hardly different from ours, after all it's a lost treasure! Furthermore, Your Highness has one more question for me."

The King wiped off his playful grin, his dark eyes fixed firmly on Xie Yuan.

"Chaos has arrived; Sir ought to make a choice."

The King proudly said, "The Northern Border's Black Armor Cavalry is invincible under heaven; no matter how those southern rebel kings toss and turn, including Bai Li Jin, nobody has the strength to set foot on my Northern Border's land."

The King's cavalry cuts down Xiongnu cavalry like slicing melons and vegetables; any southern army is no match for the Northern Border's cavalry.

The King declared, "I'm putting this statement here! Only the Northern Border has the strength to give the Great Jin's people a stable refuge in these chaotic times."

"The Northern Border's military is strong, but there's still a long way to go in other areas; I hope Sir will show more compassion for the Great Jin's people."

Xie Yuan: ……What a fine show of compassion for the people!

As expected, it's still that Bai Li Jing who loves to elevate his status.

He stared at the King for a long time; the black-faced, speckled cat bared its claws—turns out it was a leopard.

This is truly the Lord of the Northern Border, even though he is only ten years old.

The King saw Xie Yuan's solemn expression, and before Xie Yuan could speak, he said again: "Sir, you need not answer me now; think it over and reply later."

The King added, "Our Academy offers many subjects—for example, the practical science of investigating things; learning for application is the true way. Students spend all day cooped up in the Academy discussing warfare on paper; they'd be better off observing real-world developments outside, which could also inspire their thinking. What do you think, Sir?"

Xie Yuan eased his expression and bowed to the King, saying, "Your Highness, just speak plainly."

The King coughed and said, "You're the one who made me say this! Well, I'll say it then—although I rarely come to the Academy, I know full well what ought to be understood. Their studies nowadays are a mess, especially in practice." The NPCs all told him that.

"Simply put, they're just indulging themselves—utterly useless! They can't even manufacture the gunpowder packs for rocket crossbows, haven't gotten close to the door, and the King intends to send them out to broaden their horizons—not just to be able to recite 'uniform linear motion,' but to apply it to life!"

"So, the King plans to organize a visit to his warship, letting them see the gap between themselves and overseas powers."

"Sir, we must look ahead; mingling with those arrogant southern fools and those ignorant northern barbarians will only slow our progress!" The King lamented bitterly.

Xie Yuan: ……

The NPC instructors' schedules are already halfway done, yet these aristocrat‑born students still smugly think they know what uniform linear motion and gravity are, having surpassed 99.9% of readers worldwide.

As for the rest, I don't know.

Too deep, I didn't understand.

Making a literature‑educated brain tackle mechanics and thermodynamics—that's just a waste.

Xie Yuan felt his knees ache; this whole routine—really, aren't they just scolding him? After all, he is the Academy's President.

"Everyone in the Academy?"

"Everyone. Including Sir and all the instructors and teaching assistants."

Up to this point, Xie Yuan still thought the King genuinely disliked the Academy's performance—until he went to Longtou County and saw the massive warship at sea, realizing that the seemingly petty Northern Border King was actually brandishing his sword.