Chapter 2289: Young Master Wan

Chapter 2289: Young Master Wan

As the gatekeeper scrutinized the two individuals before him, they were dressed well enough to appear as young men from wealthy families. However, they also seemed to have rolled in the mud somewhere.

The young man couldn't help but feel anxious at the gatekeeper's assessment.

To be fair, he had heard about the paintings of the Mountain Dweller by Lu Ji in the capital. Naturally, he had wanted to see them for himself. He had seen those two paintings and now found himself in the real location depicted in those artworks. Especially since he arrived during the blooming of the sunflower fields, he couldn't contain his excitement. When climbing the hill, he had been determined to find the same vantage point that the Mountain Hermit had used to capture the golden sunflower fields in his paintings.

For this reason, he had climbed over the protective railings set up on both sides of the mountain road.

However, these past few days had been spent traveling tirelessly, and he hadn't taken a break even after arriving in Dong'an Prefecture. He was indeed exhausted. He had been so absorbed in admiring the scenery that he had taken a few extra steps forward, and before he knew it, he slipped and tumbled.

And that was not all. He had rolled down about four or five meters before finally using his feet to hook onto a nearby tree, preventing himself from tumbling further down the hill.

The book servant had been terrified by this turn of events, and when he came over to help, he too slipped and fell.

Luckily, neither of them was seriously injured, but they did look rather dirty.

The young man was still somewhat composed despite his soiled clothes. He straightened his back slightly and introduced himself, "I am Wan Yan, and I've come from the capital. I just arrived in Dong'an Prefecture today. My father is Wan Weimin of the Ministry of Personnel, and we are old acquaintances of headmaster Meng. I've come here with an important matter to discuss with him."

The Ministry of Personnel?

The gatekeeper hadn't expected the person before him to be the son of a high-ranking official from the capital. Upon hearing that he had an important matter to discuss, the gatekeeper immediately said, "So you're Young Master Wan. Please wait here; I will go and inform Headmaster Meng."

Wan Yan breathed a sigh of relief and followed the gatekeeper into the academy, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

The gatekeeper led the two visitors to a reception room and served them tea before asking them to wait.

This reception room was specifically for receiving guests and parents who came to visit. In addition to this room, there was a larger hall nearby.

The hall was quite spacious and currently displayed the works of the two scholars as well as some books and paintings. There were introductions and achievements of various scholars on the wall. At present, the items displayed in the hall were limited, but in the future, it would showcase the academy's achievements, history, and the names of students who had achieved success after studying here.

The reception room was separated from the formal teaching area by another door, and the gatekeeper entered this door to inform others of the guests' identities.

At that moment, Meng Yunzheng was in a meeting. He was scheduled to leave for the southwest early the next day, so he had convened a meeting with the academy's teachers and administrators to discuss and clarify the teaching plan and management for the next six months.

When Xia Yan arrived, the meeting was already in progress.

Upon hearing that Wan Yan had arrived, Meng Yunzheng was quite surprised. He didn't have a particularly close relationship with Wan Weimin. They didn't have any private interactions; it was mainly because his wife and Mistress Hou were on good terms that there had been some exchange.

Unexpectedly, Wan Yan had come, and he had an important matter to discuss?

Meng Yunzheng had no choice but to tell everyone, "I have some urgent matters to attend to for a moment. Please continue your discussion."

The others nodded, and Meng Yunzheng left the meeting room with Xia Yan.

On the other side, Wan Yan had been led into the front yard and was heading towards Meng Yunzheng's guest reception room.

As he walked, he finally got a good look at the academy. It appeared somewhat different from the Imperial College in the capital.