Chapter 50: School Factions
March 25, 1998, 9:00 a.m.
The 1996 Law Department classroom of the School of Political Science and Law of Nanzhao University is located on the fourth teaching floor. Hu Jiao is giving a lecture on party history today, and the course has already reached the stage of basic socialist transformation.
Hu Jiao stood on the podium, speaking standard Mandarin with his left hand on the textbook, and was talking about the adjustment of the party's line in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
When all the students in the class were present, Song Jie kept looking at Hu Jiao, a graduate of Tong County No. 1 Middle School, a teacher at the podium, and a former mayor of Tong County People's Government.
Two years ago, when he was about to graduate from the college entrance examination, Hu Jiao went to the county’s No. 1 Middle School for research and held discussions with the school’s teachers and some student representatives.
At that time, Song Jie was a member of the Student Union of Tongxian No. 1 Middle School and a representative of the graduating class.
In private, she had heard about the county governor's fantastic academic performance, and at the symposium that day, she was the only student who asked the county governor questions.
"County Magistrate Hu, I am a graduating student and will soon be taking the college entrance examination . I know that you had excellent academic performance back then. Can I ask you how I can perform well in the college entrance examination?"
Song Jie always remembered Hu Jiao's answer.
"The college entrance examination determines the fate of many people's lives. It is a single-plank bridge. Those who rush through it will only lay a solid foundation for the future. Those who fail to do so may experience more setbacks. How can one stand out from the competition? In my personal experience, the key to taking the exam is to adjust your mindset, put aside all thoughts about success or failure, follow the teacher's usual instructions, answer carefully, boldly seek evidence, and answer questions in a planned manner with a level of difficulty."
What Song Jie didn't expect was that just one month after she was admitted to Nanzhao University, she met Hu Jiao again.
This time, Hu Jiao has become a lecturer at Nanzhao University.
Looking at the thin and upright figure on the podium, two thick ink-like eyebrows parted the white forehead, the eyes under the thick eyebrows revealed a confident look, the corners of the mouth were raised from time to time, with a faint smile, every move involved the girl's mind.
Hu Jiao’s lectures are very attractive, not dull, stereotyped or copycat.
He is used to always holding down the textbook during class, and gesturing with his other hand as the content unfolds, constantly attracting students' attention.
The course of Party History is only an elective, but it is more popular among students than many compulsory courses because Teacher Hu always tells some anecdotes or makes exciting comments on various events of the time.
Song Jie, on the other hand, was deeply fascinated by such comments.
It is easy to understand, effortless, vivid and interesting. Unconsciously, I have gained a deep understanding of the Party’s political thoughts, political struggles, and political theories in different periods.
Hu Jiao didn't expect to meet the student from Tongxian No. 1 Middle School here.
In the past two years, a total of 54 students from Fenghuang have been admitted to the School of Politics and Law of Nanzhao University. Now there are 24 formal party members, who are students of the class of 1996, and all 30 students from the class of 1997 have become probationary party members.
As Hu Jiao habitually raised questions about this lecture, the morning class came to an end.
In the afternoon he will fly to Yenching to attend his doctoral thesis defense.
Two years ago, through the introduction of Professor Wang, Hu Jiao became a student of Professor Li Mengsheng, a leading figure in the legal field of Xinhua University. He and another classmate named Yan Rongrong were jokingly called "closed disciples" by Professor Li.
Professor Li is already 74 years old. Two years ago, he once again served as a doctoral supervisor at Yenching University. If it weren't for the fact that these two students were extremely talented and were old friends, Professor Li would have planned to quit his teaching job completely and concentrate on NPC legislative research.
The 15th Xinhua Central Committee Congress, which just concluded, elected a new central leadership team, and Professor Li was invited to Zhongnanhai to give lectures to the seven standing committee members, which caused quite a stir in the legal community.
This shows that the first generation of national leaders regarded legal work as an important issue at the time.
The title of Hu Jiao's paper, "On Governing the Country According to Law," is exactly the main content that needs to be defended today.
After leaving the classroom, Song Jie wanted to ask a few questions, but he did not expect Hu Jiao to leave in a hurry, with a very different pace than before.
In the past, when get out of class was over, Hu Jiao always walked leisurely.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, in a small conference room at Yenching University, five professors sat in a row, holding Hu Jiao's thesis in their hands, and asked Hu Jiao questions from time to time.
We took off at 11 o'clock, arrived in Yanjing at 14 o'clock, and the defense started at 15 o'clock.
Hu Jiao was unable to take a good rest as he faced questions from five domestic legal experts and internationally renowned scholars.
Hu Jiao, who appeared calm on the surface, was now sweating profusely.
Teacher Li Mengsheng did not preside over the defense. In his words, everything that should be taught has been taught, and whether one can pass depends on one's ability.
Yan Rongrong hid in the monitoring room. She was also nervous for this junior fellow student, even more nervous than Hu Jiao. After two years of schoolmate experience, she certainly knew this junior fellow student's abilities.
Bachelor of Chinese Language and Literature, Master of Philosophy.
Changing to study law midway was like starting all over again. To start from the basic theory of law in two years was unimaginable to Yan Rongrong.
But Hu Jiao did it.
I remembered Hu Jiao’s confident sarcasm: When it comes to knowledge, if you master one, you can master all.
One has to admire Yan Rongrong, a proud girl who has been majoring in law since college.
If Hu Jiao can't pass today, she will directly apply for an extension tomorrow.
Yan Rong is 32 years old today. She was admitted to the Law Department of Yenching University at the age of 19, and studied there for 13 years. After graduating from university, she immediately studied for a master's degree and obtained her lawyer's license during this period.
After that he started working at the Supreme People's Procuratorate.
After working for two years, she applied for a doctorate, failed the first year, and was admitted the second year. At that time, she was already 30 years old.
Thinking of her mentor, Yan Rongrong smiled bitterly. If the teacher didn't know that she was the Prime Minister's daughter, it would be fine. But it happened that Mr. Li knew her father.
I didn't give him any face in the first year.
Yan Rongrong was so angry that she studied very hard and finally became Mr. Li's last student. She thought she was already quite good, but she didn't expect that Hu Jiao, who came from a different major, was even better.
There were faint traces of sweat on Hu Jiao's forehead. Yan Rongrong's palms were sweating as she watched from the monitoring room. It was already five o'clock and the defense had lasted for two hours.
Every second feels like an age!
After answering the last question, Hu Jiao licked his dry lips and looked at the judges expectantly. Finally, the professor who presided over the defense announced the end of the defense after soliciting opinions from several people.
Hu Jiao collapsed in his chair.
It's finally over.
After walking out of the university, Hu Jiao looked back at one of Yanda’s iconic buildings and breathed a long sigh of relief. Yan Rongrong stood at the bottom of the stairs with her arms folded.
Seeing Hu Jiao coming down, he couldn't help but applaud, "Excellent! Congratulations to my junior for completing the defense without any danger!"
Hu Jiao smiled and shook his head and sighed, "These past two years have been more tiring than the past ten years! The results haven't come out yet, and whether it can pass or not still depends on the evaluation of the experts. Alas... it's finally over. No matter what the result is, even if it doesn't pass, I will accept it."
Yan Rongrong also had a worried look on her face. "Why are the teachers so cruel? These five are known for their iron faces. Now that you are free, what should I do tomorrow?"
Hu Jiao smiled easily, "Sister, don't be discouraged, let me share with you the experience I just gained!"
Yan Rongrong's eyes sparkled, and she anxiously pulled Hu Jiao's arm, "Tell me quickly !"
Hu Jiao pursed his lips, and Yan Rongrong immediately handed over the water bottle in her hand, "Don't complain that Senior Sister is unhygienic, deal with the emergency first, and tell me what experience you have."
Hu Jiao didn't care whether it was hygienic or not, he took a few big gulps and said as he walked, "Treat them as children!"
Looking back at Yan Rongrong who had stopped walking, Hu Jiao said complacently, "Children always have endless questions to ask. Some of these questions may seem childish and ridiculous to adults, but they get to the heart of the matter. Do you understand? Let's go, Senior Sister. You promised to reward me a long time ago."
Holding Yan Rongrong's hand and talking as they walked, the senior sister nodded repeatedly and finally gained a lot of confidence.
Yan Rongrong drove and took Hu Jiao straight to Maozi Hutong in Yanjing City. There was an old restaurant called Yu Decheng here. Its ancestors were imperial chefs in the Qing Palace. They only prepared eight tables of dishes every day and reservations had to be made at least one week in advance.
Yan Rongrong had already informed her boyfriend on the way.
Chen Guoli, 35 years old, is the director of the Rural Economy Research Office of the Xinhua Institute of Economic Policy and is a student of the famous economist Professor Wu Fang.
Hu Jiao only learned about Yan Rongrong's true identity last year, but as they have been classmates for more than a year, he didn't feel particularly surprised.
Yan Rongrong, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief. It was tiring to keep it a secret.
Chen Guoli looks very ordinary and comes from an ordinary working-class family. Unlike many intellectuals who are weak and timid, he has loved sports since he was a child. He is less than 1.8 meters tall and looks very strong.
The two have been in love for seven years, but their marriage has been delayed again and again due to their studies and work. This time, they agreed to get married on May 1st Labor Day, regardless of whether Yan Rongrong can get a doctorate degree.
Hu Jiao and Chen Guoli get along well, mainly because of Chen Guoli's attainments in economics, especially the rural economic policy research he is responsible for, which has been of great help and inspiration to Hu Jiao.
The three of them ate and chatted, and agreed to go to Yan University together the next day to support Yan Rongrong.
Afterwards, Yan Rongrong went home to rest and prepare for tomorrow's defense, leaving Chen Guoli to accompany Hu Jiao.
The two men moved to another location, and Chen Guoli took Hu Jiao into a courtyard house to have tea.
"Don't underestimate this place. Haha, those who come here to drink tea and chat are either rich or noble. Of course, I come here just to have some peace and quiet."
Chen Guoli introduced the food and ordered some snacks. "Normally, we should relax after dinner, but now is an extraordinary period..."
The door curtain was suddenly lifted, and a short-haired man in his thirties came in, grinning, "Brother Chen! I noticed you the moment you walked in."
Chen Guoli was a little unhappy when his topic was interrupted. Seeing the fringe-headed man's playful smile, he couldn't help but joked, "I'm not Miss Yu, why are you looking at me?"
The short-haired guy was an enthusiastic person. He walked in, looked at Hu Jiao, and asked Chen Guoli, "Brother Chen, can you introduce me?"
"Hu Jiao. Rongrong's junior."
The crew-haired guy reached out his hand to shake Hu Jiao's, shaking it a few times, "The future Supreme Court Justice, we must do our best to curry favor with him. I'm Ye Chun, everyone calls me Ye Lao Er. Hu Jiao, right? Where's your hometown?"
Hu Jiao smiled politely, "Brother Ye, I am from Nanzhao."
Ye Chun turned his head and looked at Chen Guoli, "Nanzhao, it's a good place. There's even a mortar there, right, Brother Chen?"
Chen Guoli laughed loudly, and Hu Jiao was confused.
"Second brother, Hu Jiao is Mortar's grandson-in-law."
Hu Jiao suddenly realized it. Ye Lao Er quickly grabbed Hu Jiao's hand and shook it again. "Excuse me! I just said nonsense. Don't report it to your father."
Chen Guoli pulled him over, sat beside him, and said to Hu Jiao, "This is Mr. Ye's grandson, working in the logistics department of the General Staff. He's a well-known second young master, haha."
Ye Chun laughed, "Don't worry! I'm just a useless guy who's just waiting to die. It's better to meet by chance than to be invited. I've been drinking tea all afternoon and my stomach is still swollen. Brother Chen, please give me some face and let's go have some fun?"
Chen Guoli shook his head, "Rongrong has a defense tomorrow, and I agreed to go and help her."
Ye Chun did not give up, "Let's drink today. Besides, this is the first time I meet Brother Hu, how can I not show some respect?"
Chen Guoli looked at Hu Jiao, hesitated for a few seconds, and nodded, "Okay, finish before twelve o'clock."
Ye Chun then grinned and closed the lid of the tea, "Let's go!"
The three of them went to the parking lot, and Ye Chun said to Chen Guoli, "Get in my car, I'll have someone drive yours over."
Hu Jiao followed the two men to a Yanjing Jeep and was a little dumbfounded. After all, he was from a wealthy family, but he was driving such a shabby car?
Chen Guoli smiled, looked at Hu Jiao, pulled him and explained in a low voice, "They have strict education, none of them dare to drive a luxury car. Don't be scared by this broken Jeep, it's all handmade inside, you can't buy it even if you have money."
Sure enough, when the car was running, it had green lights all the way and overtook every car it came across.
Hu Jiao was a little dumbfounded. This is the capital.
Looking at the speed, it was more or less than 100 kilometers. After driving for nearly an hour, we finally entered a yard in the suburbs.
From the outside, it looked like a farmhouse, but about 200 meters into the gate, the scenery changed, with pavilions, towers, carved beams and painted buildings.
The style of the Ming and Qing dynasties seemed quaint and antique. After parking the car, Ye Chun led the two of them through many turns and entered a row of compartments as they were familiar with the route.
There were rows of carpets, yellow pear wood tables and chairs, and Chinese painting screens, and the sound of people talking could be heard constantly inside.
Turning around the screen, five people were playing cards in front of the octagonal table.
Seeing Ye Chun and Chen Guoli come in, several people greeted each other and continued their card game. Ye Chun stepped forward and snatched the cards of the four people, shouting, "Stop, stop, today is a good day for your college to get together. It's rare for Brother Chen to come, so I'll introduce a friend to you all."
He pulled Hu Jiao over and introduced him, "I'm from the Nanzhaohe family, Hu Jiao, Rongrong's junior. By the way, where do you work now?"
The next sentence was asked to Hu Jiao.
"Nanzhao University School of Political Science and Law."
"Teaching?" The person who asked the question had a smile on his face, his hair was neatly combed, and he wore a pair of round-framed black glasses, looking particularly gentle.
Hu Jiao said, "Being a secretary is also teaching."
Ye Chun pointed at the person who was asking the question and introduced him, "This is Liu Fu. We all call him cousin Liu. He studied law like you. He is currently the deputy secretary of Guanhai City, Donghai Province."
This is the level of a full-time department head.
Liu Fu is only forty years old, but unexpectedly he is already the deputy secretary of a sub-provincial city.
Ye Chun continued, "Cousin Liu is a true academic leader. Haha, these few people, Yao Bisheng, deputy director of the Huanghai Organization Department, Wang Shengli, the Central Propaganda Department. Yu Kaifeng, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And this one, Wu Ziliang, deputy secretary of the Zhongzhou Provincial Youth League Committee."
Hu Jiao went forward to shake hands with everyone one by one. Yao Bisheng, Hu Jiao had an impression of this name. Yao Bizheng, who had defeated He Miao back then, was his biological sister.
Just as Ye Chun described them as academicians, Liu Fu is a doctoral student in economics at Yanjing University, and the other four are also graduate students at Yanjing University, three of whom are currently studying.
I heard that Hu Jiao just finished his doctoral dissertation defense in law today.
Liu Fu praised, "To be able to get a doctorate from Mr. Li, this is a real warrior!"
Hu Jiao kept declining, "The results haven't been announced yet, I don't know if I can pass."
Yao Bisheng said, "It seems you haven't heard that in a law defense, anyone who can hold out for an hour and a half against those five iron-faced men will definitely pass!"
Chen Guoli interrupted and asked, "Huh? There is such a saying?" He turned to look at Liu Fu, "Brother, are you serious about the victory?"
Liu Fu nodded, "As far as I know, all the five of them who hosted it have lasted more than an hour and a half in the past."
Chen Guoli and Liu Fu are both students of Professor Wu Fang, Hu Jiao could tell this.
Chen Guoli immediately stood up and touched his phone. "I have to talk to Rongrong. You don't know how nervous she was after watching Hu Jiao's defense today. If that were the case, I don't think she would be scared."
As he walked out, Ye Chun pulled Hu Jiao over and sat down in the middle of the five people. "Scholars, should we do something tacky next?"
Liu Fu laughed, "How can we be elegant with a vulgar person like you around?"
That night, Hu Jiao got to see the real life of a child from an aristocratic family. I won't go into details here. After Chen Guoli's introduction and Ye Chun's introduction, Hu Jiao was reluctantly recognized by several people.
In the middle, Yao Bisheng asked about the matter with Miao. In their opinion, it was just a dispute of pride and harmless. Hu Jiao sighed secretly.
The so-called dispute of personal feelings involved a large number of cadres.
After the party, Chen Guoli took Hu Jiao back to his residence. He had an apartment on the Fourth Ring Road. Hu Jiao had come twice. In order to make it convenient for him to go to Yanda to support the event tomorrow, he decided to stay there for one night.
From Chen Guoli, Hu Jiao finally got a general understanding of some secret things. However, considering that this belonged to the highest level of politics, he was not qualified to get involved, and only regarded it as an insight.
The next day, Yan Rongrong successfully completed her two-hour defense.
If what Liu Fu said is true, both of them can pass.
