Niebule looked at Swain, the young man's face was calm, not as reserved as his students had been when they first saw him. In Swain's body, Niebuhr felt that he faintly saw the shadow of his old friend Winston, but Niebuhr himself couldn't say what kind of similarity between the two people would make him feel this way.

Thinking of the deceased Winston, Niebuhr couldn't help but sigh, no matter how much Swain resembled Winston, he was not the personable earl anymore. "It's nice to meet you—I'm the same generation as your grandfather, can I call you Swain?"

"Of course," Swain bowed his head, in a rare sign of humility, "you are a highly respected senior, and I have often heard my grandfather talk about your writings, and I admire you very much. ”

"Oh?" Niebuhr became interested when he heard Swain's words, "have you read my book, and have you studied historiography as well?"

"I don't dare to talk about research, but I just studied with my grandfather. ”

"You're being too humble to say that. Niebuhr shook his head, "I also admire Winston's learning, and he has always been good at educating people, which I think is inferior. I'm sure you, educated by Winston, must have been quite knowledgeable—and now you're standing in front of us old fellows who eat by doing their own things, and that shows that, doesn't it?"

Niebuhr smiled and glanced at the crowd around him, his words were joking, but the meaning was obvious, he was propping up the table for Swain, and warning his students not to underestimate the young earl.

"You're exalting me too much," Swain bowed his head slightly, still humble, "I don't dare compare myself to you. ”

"Young people don't have to be so restrained. Although Swain looked very humble, Niebuhr could see that Sven's face was still expressionless, "If you have any ideas, just say them and listen to them, this salon gathering is supposed to discuss academics and give everyone a platform to exchange ideas." As he spoke, Niebuhr smiled and looked at Franz.

Franz was a diplomat, after all, and he would soon meet the old man's meaning. "Yes, we at Metternich are happy to see more academic prosperity and are willing to contribute to your research. He said with a smile, the smile on his face showing no small amount of confidence and pride. Although he said it politely, the "modest strength" of the Metternich family was a huge sum of money for these pedants who relied solely on academics to eat.

The master had said so, and Swain finally stopped being humble, and he looked up and looked at Niebuhr. "In that case, then I will share some of my thoughts, and if there are some fallacies, I will ask my seniors to correct them. ”

The scholars around Niebuhr all nodded slightly, and no matter what, Swain's words were still very decent, which also made these seniors feel very comfortable.

"Please, I'd love to see it again, Jericho's mind. ”

"Actually, lately I've been reviewing my grandfather's biography of Astrad I, which I've read many times since I was a child, and now that I'm reviewing it again, I have a little doubt. ”

Niebuur looked at Swain with interest, he had naturally read "The Biography of Astrad I", and it was a must-read for the students. He had always admired Winston, especially this book, and he considered himself to have written nothing in his life that surpassed the Biography of Astrad I.

"Let's hear it, it's interesting to hear Winston's grandson interpret this book!"

"Actually, I have some doubts about the question of the twenty-third Earl of Glamorgan. In the end, the famous mad count did not even leave his name, and everything about him was erased by Emperor Astrad I, like a mystery, and even my grandfather could not leave a single word of detail. So, from the first time I read this book, I was very interested in this question. ”

Niebuel frowned slightly, he had expected Swain to have a high opinion of historiography, but when he heard the name "the twenty-third Earl of Glamorgan", the scholar could not help but be a little disappointed. Although the Mad Earl was an extremely important historical figure, he did not leave any tangible evidence of his identity, and the study of such a figure was more of a curiosity than a rigorous study that he hoped to see. "So," Niebuhr looked at Swain, his tone a little more serious, "do you have any new insights?"

Sven didn't answer Niebuhr right away, he looked around calmly, and those seniors who were much older than him all showed a critical color to Sven as Niebuhr's complexion changed. However, Swain didn't care, he wasn't the one to change his mind because of what others thought of him.

"Why did all the Franconians disappear after the death of the Mad Count? It was like a devil's trick, impossible from the point of view of modern science. However, the truth is in front of us, that the country that once rivaled Siliul disappeared without a trace overnight, leaving only ruins for us posterity to dream about. There is no account of the cause of this incident, and if it was a trick of the devil, then he succeeded in deceiving the whole world. ”

"It seems that you have also read Ranke's "History of the Frankenian Nation", and I have to say that the question you chose is very attractive, but I think it is useless. Niebuhr's face was completely down, he didn't like Swain's diction, it sounded like the words used by a street singer to sensationalize, not at all rigorous, much worse than Winston. He was now starting to feel a little disappointed, feeling that perhaps he had expected too much of the young man in the first place.

"Useless? I don't think so. At this point, Swain had completely lost his previous humility, he looked directly at Niebuhr, almost directly arguing with the senior, "Why do you think so, don't you think such a topic is not in the flow?"

Niebuhr was upset by Sven's revolt, and he was eager to teach the young man a lesson, but thinking that he was Winston's grandson, Niebuhr thought he would give him some admonition so that he could repent. "Listen, young people, the so-called history is not simply reminiscing about the past, we record the past truthfully, take the most cautious attitude, and dare not add a single word of our own comments, for fear that it will mislead future generations who read our history. In the final analysis, history is in the service of the present, and if history has no reference for the present, then what is the need for history to exist?"

"I see. Swain nodded, but there was still no expression on his face, "Honestly, I'm disappointed with your answer, it's pedantic, it's so pedantic. ”

Everyone was taken aback by this, including Franz, and the people around Niebuhr looked at Swain in surprise, wondering why this young young student, who had been very humble just now, could suddenly become so arrogant at this moment.

Niebuhr furrowed his eyebrows, he was not angry at Swain for his contempt, but he felt the disappointment and anger of Swain's attitude and lack of etiquette, he cared not about his own face, but at Winston's grandson for being so unsuccessful. "Then tell me about it," Niebuol said, looking up at Swain, "your opinion. ”

"You say that history is regarded as a service for the present, but can we really make good use of the lessons of history? History cannot repeat itself in exactly the same way, and the past is the past after all, and it is really unwise to find the reasons for it and then try to apply it to the current situation. ”

"Huh-" One of the professors beside Niebuhr couldn't take it anymore, he sneered, and asked Swain in a loud voice, "why do we people study history, and why should the world know history, according to you, just let the past pass?"

"You're right," Swain glanced at the professor who spoke up, but the indifferent gaze made the man's heart jump, as if he had been glimpsed by some beast, "why should so many people know history? It is enough for a group of the most professional people to remain in this profession, and history is written by these people, and the rest of the discussion is superfluous, and the more scholarly discourse there is, the more time is wasted and misleading others." ”

This time Swain's words really made Niebuhr angry, if he really did what Swain said, then he didn't have to be the headmaster, he was just misleading people's children.

"Hah!" Niebuhr walked up to Swain and stared at the face, his eyes spurting with anger, "It's the first time I've heard such a statement, why, do you want to learn from Winston to create a school of his own? Don't be too presumptuous! Don't think that if you just put a few wild words to attract the attention of others, you are a great character, you are still far behind! Winston was able to start the Dunndorf School because of his talent and hard work, he is not like you, he only talks about it!"

In the face of the old man's roar, Swain still behaved very indifferently, and he said unhurriedly: "Boastful? Yes, boastful. In this salon, how many people are boasting about the period, secretly rejoicing for their little fame. To be honest, I've read your recent writings, and I've improved a lot compared to when you were younger, but I'm not doing as much research as before. You're so obsessed with the canon that you don't look down on the rest at all. You even scoff at the family histories of the nobility, believing that these are outdated and have no relevance at all. You're not studying history, you're just thinking about how you can use history to tell the dynasty so that you can earn more fame. ”

Sven's words almost stunned the old man, and he waited for Sven angrily, his face flushed, but he couldn't say a word. The students around him saw that their teacher was so angry that they immediately lashed out at Swain, and more than a dozen voices joined in to Swain.

Franz was also shocked when he saw this. He originally wanted to see Swain make a fool of himself, but now that the situation is about to get out of control, he doesn't dare to let it go any longer. He immediately made an excuse and pulled Swain out of this tongue battlefield and ran to the back parlor, where the Marquis of Metternich was waiting.

Walking to the drawing room, he and Swain happened to run into someone, and that was Wood, whom Swain had met today.