Chapter 45: Brilliant ideas, helpless ending

It is definitely not pleasant to hide in the house on a hot day. Yun Ye was wearing a pair of shorts and a vest, squatting on a chair, and writing and drawing with both hands on a large piece of paper. The architectural drawings of the Tang Dynasty were not long in coming, and they were all revealed under Yun Ye’s pen. The paints that were to be used for the paintings were colored little by little, with red bricks and green tiles, carved beams and painted rafters.

The multi-storied pagoda structure is fine, but the beams are not, and wooden structures are prone to insects. No matter how well they are protected, they won’t last for many years. Termites are really annoying. As long as the weather is humid, they will be crawling all over the world in a few days. They are also airborne soldiers. They use their wings to fly to a suitable place, immediately throw away their wings, and drill into the wood to eat. In a few moves, the wood that looks good on the outside is completely rotten inside.

I don’t know when it will suddenly break at a time you don’t know. When I think of the situation when I was a child, I look at the tall roof above my head, and I feel like I am that poor bird.

The three great evils of Chang’an, I am the first, I don’t know where this ranking comes from, I don’t harm others, I just cheat the fools, such as the bigwigs in the court, at most, let you eat a few locusts, that’s high protein, thinking of you, I don’t know how to appreciate it.

As for now, I’ll just file a report and get the bigwigs from the three provinces to study it together, and then give limited consent. Isn’t it just to build some houses on Yushan? Who would come here except me?

Okay, I admit that even if I build a few too many houses, just a few hundred, you still won’t let me leave some room for the future development of the academy? Why should I raise the funds myself? This is the royal family, you can’t do this to people.

Poodle? That’s your family’s bad habits, none of my business. It’s normal for a man to go out for a drink occasionally. Although it’s not good to go to a brothel, your wife can’t use a poodle as a guard dog, can she? She locks her husband in the bed, doesn’t let him wear clothes, drags him home by the ears, and uses a poodle to block his private parts. It’s a last resort. You can’t go out naked, can you? It’s better to have something to block it than to go home with your dick hanging out, right? Who could have imagined that a bite would be so painful? God, even a man would feel his soul fly away.

Women in Chang’an City began to popularize keeping a poodle at home, which was a tragedy for men.

The drawings were finished, so it was natural to ask someone to comment on them. Several old gentlemen were the best candidates, and they were quickly found sipping tea. The Yun family’s secret tea was now available in small quantities to several people. Each person held a large teacup with a lid, and from time to time they lifted the lid to take a sip, looking leisurely.

Li Gang looked at the drawing and was stunned for a long time. Yu Shan, Yuan Zhang, and Li Shi also didn’t say anything. Yun Ye’s mind had already traveled around the world several times, but they still didn’t say anything. They were like clay figures, waving their hands in front of them, but no movement was seen.

He was about to splash some cold water on it when Old Li spoke up: “Such a magnificent project, kid, how many years do you plan to build it? How much money will it cost? How much manpower will it take? Will the court agree? Will the emperor allow it? This is a project that can overturn the country. This is just a dream that can’t be completed. The area is bigger than the palace. You’ve also enclosed Yushan. It’s ten miles in circumference. You’re not building a school, you’re building a city. It’s even comparable to the city of Chang’an. It can’t be completed.”

“There is no shortage of money, people, or materials. Why do you think I can’t build this school? I will definitely do it in my lifetime. I will start construction this year. The preliminary work will only take 100,000 taels of silver to complete. It will take three years. This year to next year will be the main construction period. Due to the disaster, there will definitely be many people willing to find a job in Yushan to support their families. If I don’t take this opportunity to find labor, when will I wait? Yun Ye said it decisively.

“Kid, I’m not asking you where you’re going to find the money. You say you’re sure, and I believe you can get the money. Have you thought about it? You’ve taken so much money from the Tang Dynasty all of a sudden. What will the court do? What if you need money but don’t have any?” Old Li was full of worry. After half a year of contact, Old Li never doubted Yun Ye’s ability to get money. He was just worried about the court. The high-ranking officials in the temple were like children who hadn’t grown up in front of Yun Ye, especially when it came to money.

“Is this how you view money? Is this how you think, or is this how everyone thinks?” Yun Ye was a little suspicious.

“I believe that the views on money in the court are the same as mine. The difference is that some people are good at managing it.” Li Gang hurriedly said. Yushan, Yuan Zhang, and Lishi also nodded at the same time. They came from the court and naturally understood.

“Hahaha, I’m rich! My school can be built 20 years earlier, and you four can see the largest school in the Tang Dynasty or in history. I want to recruit 10,000 students and find hundreds of famous teachers. I’m worried that I’m too idle. Now I have something to do. I’m going to plan it. After he finished speaking, he wanted to run away. The four teachers hurriedly stopped him, and their nervousness made their whole bodies tremble. It seemed that they were not stopping Yun Ye, but a tiger with a colorful pattern.

“You can’t do this. The academy is still in its infancy. Even if you build the school, there will be no students or teachers. How can it be called an academy?” Li Gang’s words suddenly extinguished Yun Ye’s ambition.

Yes, it’s easy to build a house, but where can you find good teachers? Where can you find students? The academy only has a hundred students, and these old men are already exhausted. Ten thousand? In the future, this is only a medium-sized school, but in the Tang Dynasty, it is unimaginable. I’m confused. Yun Ye pounded his head twice, and his body seemed to be exhausted and he sat on the ground.

“I know you want to enlighten the people, and this is also the lifelong belief of the old man and others. There are only so many guests, and it doesn’t matter how big your desk is. Take it easy, it will be fine. I’m seventy years old and I’m not in a hurry. You’re only sixteen, so what’s the rush? You’re impatient these days. I’m not asking what happened in Chang’an, I just want you to calm down and not be impatient. You are the hope of the few old men. I have never felt that teaching the world is so close to us. I always feel that it is only one step away. If you need to take risks, it is also the business of the few old men. Li Gang squatted down and gently stroked the top of Yun Ye’s head. His words were illusory and confused. He seemed to be intoxicated in this field of hope.

The ups and downs of the human spirit are the most physically exhausting. He stood up a few times before he was able to stand firmly with the help of the teachers.

“The boy has the skills to slay a dragon, but there is nowhere to display them. Never mind, let’s walk slowly. The boy is a bit tired, so he’s going to go back to bed. You gentlemen should rest early as well.” After saying this, he bowed deeply to the gentlemen and slowly walked back.

“Lao Li, why do you believe he will find enough money to expand the academy? One hundred thousand taels of silver is equivalent to ten years of taxes from the upper provinces. He can’t possibly do it.” Mr. Yuan Zhang spoke up. He was indifferent to the court and was not clear about many things that happened in Chang’an.

“Have I ever told you about the time this kid used four small iron bars to fish out 16,000 taels of silver in one day?” The three men shook their heads.

Li Gang told the three old friends in detail about what happened in Chang’an. The three of them were fuming. Who would have thought that Yun Ye would have dug a pit for the ministers early on, using a simple method that could not be simpler, and taking 16,000 taels from the ministers, still in full view of everyone, leaving people speechless.

“This is only the first time. He obviously has a back-up plan, but we don’t know when it will be used. Now, whenever this kid submits a petition, it will be considered again and again, and then only half of it will be accepted. Which ministry receives his petition will be like facing a great enemy. So he said he could get 100,000 taels of silver. You’d better believe it. I just don’t know who’s unlucky.”

The four of them smiled at each other. Although they thought it was funny, they were also relieved. With such a guy, the academy would never have to worry about money. This would save a lot of effort. They were good at teaching and educating people, but not at attracting wealth and goods. And running an academy is precisely what money is needed for. How can a nerd find a source of wealth? It can only be that one academy closes down after another.

“It seems that my house on the banks of the Dongyang River is a bit small, and it’s useless to find a master to draw a plan. The plan drawn by that kid is very good. What do you think, Mr. Li?” Mr. Yushan seemed to have an epiphany and asked Li Gang.

“Let’s not worry about the house. Just teach the boy well. He’ll do a good job, better than you think.”

The moonlight on a summer night is particularly enchanting. Yun Ye sat in front of the window, posing like a rhinoceros looking at the moon. The moon of the Tang Dynasty was indeed brighter than that of later dynasties. The silver moonlight filled the earth and also shone on Yun Ye’s face.

It was indeed too impatient. Since returning from Chang’an, he had never really felt at ease. The anger in his chest had never been vented, but had only fermented and swelled in his heart, and now it was beginning to affect his mood. This was not right. This was not the kind of emotional unease he should have. He didn’t know how to deal with the situation. Perhaps the teacher knew. He had lived to be seventy years old, and should have become a genius by now, right?

Loneliness and depression spread through the house and gradually affected the next door.

The next door neighbor is Li Ke, who is very depressed now. He no longer wants to surpass Li Tai, the super pervert, in his studies. No matter how hard he tries, he is always one step behind. Mr. Li said that some people are born to learn, and that he doesn’t need to work too hard to assimilate knowledge.

But his mother said that his bloodline was the most noble, combining the blood of two emperors, which was incomparable. But in the academy, he seemed to never be able to keep up with Li Tai’s pace. He seemed to have gone far away, leaving only his back to me.

He angrily pushed open the window and just happened to see Yun Ye also pushing open the window. The two equally unhappy people both grunted and closed the window again.

The hot night was only filled with cicadas and fireflies, which were flying around in the grass with their bellies lit up. The bats were flying in the air, making the letter “eight” in the air, silently. The sound of the pines on the mountain sounded like a drumbeat urging people to fight.