At this moment, Mu Zilian came in lightly, cutting fresh fruit and carrying a colorful fruit platter.
She gently set the fruit platter on the coffee table and said softly, "Martial Uncle, Zhang Ci, have some fruit. It's all fresh."
With that, she gracefully stepped aside and waited quietly.
Zhuo Qianren and Zhang Ci raised their heads at the same time, looked at the fruit platter Mu Zilian had brought over, and smiled faintly.
However, their conversation was not interrupted by this.
Zhang Ci took a deep breath and pressed on. "Master, have you ever considered that our academy becoming the Chen Clan's talent training base, or our graduates flowing either into official institutions or into the Chen Clan, is actually the idea of our dean, City Lord Xue Churan?"
A sharp gleam flashed through Zhuo Qianren's eyes, and he asked in a deep voice, "What makes you say that?"
Zhang Ci fell silent for a moment, as though choosing his words, then slowly spoke. "Everyone outside says the City Lord's Mansion and the Chen Clan are so close they're practically wearing the same pair of pants. I imagine you've heard that too."
"Over the past few years, we've received quite a few benefits from the City Lord's Mansion through the Chen Clan. That's a good thing we never had before."
"That night, the Chen Clan and the City Lord vouched for the noble families at the same time. You should know that too."
He paused, then continued, "And when the Chen Clan emerged, City Lord Xue Churan invited His Eminence Chen Cong to serve as Executive Vice President and honorary dean, looking as if she were handing the entire academy over to His Eminence to manage."
"Don't you think that position was far too high, and the timing far