Chapter 286

No wonder those companies in his previous life had to hire many accountants when they grew big; the work simply couldn't be finished with few people.

Jiang Jinshi didn't have enough even if he split himself into two. In his desperation, he suddenly thought of one person.

Wei Xikang!

As the Crown Prince, he had been trained as a successor since he was a child, and he could finish reviewing so many memorials. He thought these things of his wouldn't be complicated for him.

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Jiang Jinshi put down his pen and excitedly prepared to find Wei Xikang.

At this moment, Wei Xikang was tasting tea with Yan Wu. Yan Wu's attitude toward Wei Xikang remained respectful.

Yan Wu looked at Wei Xikang's empty sleeve, his expression extremely complex. "Your Highness... you have suffered!"

Wei Xikang didn't care at all. Now he was much better than when he first started, at least he wouldn't look for trouble for himself because of this.

And after throwing away the heavy burdens on his body, he felt that he was about to start a new life. His path had been paved before, and he only needed to follow the steps.

Now, however, there was a different sense of freshness. No one would blame him for what he did, and no one paid attention to a cripple like him. He didn't have to worry about how many people his orders would kill.

"Yan Wu, don't call me Your Highness anymore. There is no Crown Prince in this Great Qian!" Wei Xikang said to Yan Wu seriously.

Upon hearing this, Yan Wu became anxious. "Your Highness, even though you have lost an arm, you cannot give up on yourself! The people of the world are still waiting for you..."

Wei Xikang raised his hand, stopping Yan Wu's words. "This world doesn't need me, Wei Xikang. Great Master Jiang will do better than me!"

Yan Wu was very surprised; he didn't expect that the once high-spirited Wei Xikang could say these words so calmly.

But thinking of what Wei Xikang had experienced, Yan Wu felt somewhat relieved. "Your Highness... are you really not going to try again?"

Wei Xikang shook his head. "Since the people are living and working in peace under the Ming Army, why should I break this tranquility and become the sinner of the ages?"

Wei Xikang saw things very clearly. Hadn't this been his goal all along?

Since the people are living happily, isn't it the same whoever sits in that position?

And what he couldn't do, Jiang Jinshi could do; he was firmly convinced of this.

Yan Wu knew he couldn't persuade Wei Xikang anymore. Such a choice might be good for everyone, but he was lost; what should he do?

Wei Xikang saw Yan Wu's anxiety and fear, so he said softly: "In the future, you should just assist Great Master Jiang well! He is not a petty person. If you do your work well, you can also achieve something under him."

Yan Wu smiled bitterly. "Great Master Jiang doesn't trust me at all. They didn't even let me know when they raised the flag, and the same went for fighting the Xiongnu!"

"You, you!" Wei Xikang smiled and pointed out the way for Yan Wu. "Of course they didn't bring you when they raised the flag. If you knew, what would you have done at that time?"

"Naturally, I would have reported it to you, Your Highness!" Yan Wu said without hesitation.

Wei Xikang chuckled. "That's right! That's the reason they don't trust you! So you have to change your thinking in the future."

"How to change?" Yan Wu asked sincerely; he wanted to find something to do for himself instead of doing nothing all day.

"Take Great Master Jiang as the center and firmly maintain the reputation and interests of the Ming Army. In this way, the Ming Army will naturally accept you!" Wei Xikang had no one to rely on now, and he sincerely hoped that Yan Wu could live a good life.

"Is this really useful?" Yan Wu thought about it carefully, but he had no bottom in his heart.

Wei Xikang cheered him on. "It will definitely be useful. Great Master Jiang has a broad mind, you know this!

You don't have to worry about me either. Now that I'm not on the frontline, and Great Master Jiang lets me live in such a big house, I'm already very satisfied!"

Wei Xikang looked around. Although this place was like a hovel compared to his Eastern Palace, it was already a pretty good house in Guangwu Jun.

He had no other requirements; this house was smaller and felt warmer, but he was always itching to know when the academy Jiang Jinshi mentioned would be built.

Currently, Jiang Jinshi had circled a piece of land in the south of the city and was building it; it was said to be the site of the academy.

Wei Xikang liked to go for a walk nearby whenever he was free every day, and by the way, look at the progress. He wasn't a person who could sit still, and he always felt that having something to do would make him feel more secure.

To avoid misleading his future students, Wei Xikang would set aside time every day to practice calligraphy and read books. It was just that there were fewer books in Beijiang, which couldn't compare to the capital.

Wei Xikang was also helpless about this and could only slowly recall the books or rare editions he had read and copy them down bit by bit.

Jiang Jinshi said he wanted to build an academy that the people could afford to attend, without charging tuition.

At the very least, he wanted the children of Beijiang to be able to write their own names and understand some basic arithmetic.

This goal was not grand; even when Wei Xikang was the Crown Prince, he didn't dare to make such a boast.

Those scholar-gentry families had gathered ninety percent of the scholars in the world, causing the lifeblood of the country to be firmly held by the throat. Wei Xikang knew the situation but was powerless to change it.

Now that Jiang Jinshi was taking the lead and had made such a grand ambition, Wei Xikang would help the other party no matter what.

Wei Xikang could say without modesty that on this land of Beijiang, no one had read more books than him, so he believed he was qualified to be a teacher at the academy.

"Dong dong dong!"

"Old Wei, are you home?" Jiang Jinshi's voice came from outside the door.

Yan Wu and Wei Xikang looked at each other, not expecting Jiang Jinshi to have time to visit.

"Yan Wu, hurry and open the door, I'll brew tea for Great Master Jiang!" Wei Xikang was very happy, because Jiang Jinshi definitely didn't come to find him just for a chat, so he could play a role again!

Jiang Jinshi stood outside the door and was stunned for a moment when he saw Yan Wu opening the door, then greeted him naturally. "Yan Wu is here too!"

"Y-yes!" Yan Wu was very nervous, fearing Jiang Jinshi would overthink his being here with Wei Xikang!

Jiang Jinshi walked closer and waved at Wei Xikang. "Old Wei, you have to help me this time!"

"Great Master Jiang, just give your orders. To tell you the truth, Wei has been idle at home all day and is almost depressed, and Yan Wu is also lazy!" Wei Xikang poured tea for Jiang Jinshi.

"Then I won't be polite!" Jiang Jinshi picked up the teacup and took a sip. "I have many brothers who can fight, but there are really few literati, and those things can't be finished, so I came here specifically to move reinforcements!"

"Good!" Wei Xikang agreed immediately. "I'm quite handy at handling these things!"

Jiang Jinshi smiled happily, knowing he was right to come to Wei Xikang. "Then I'll leave it to you!"

"It just so happens that I also want to talk to you about this academy, Great Master Jiang!"