Feng Hua Academy.

Qian Heng, accompanied by two close classmates, strode into the academy, followed closely by three young pageboys carrying book boxes.

As soon as the group arrived at the school, they attracted many sidelong glances and whispers.

"Hey, isn't that Qian Heng, the son of the Minister of Revenue?"

"It seems to be him."

"Didn't Minister Qian invite a great scholar to his residence to give him lectures? Why does he still need to come to the academy?"

Who knows!

"Stop talking, Master Yan is here, please sit down!"

Qian Heng was an eye-catching young master wherever he went. Not only was he handsome, but his father was also the Minister of Revenue, in charge of the Jin Dynasty's purse strings.

As long as he doesn't do anything against the law, the noble families and aristocrats in the capital will all give him some face.

After all, no one wants to offend the Minister of Revenue, lest there be unpleasantness behind their backs.

In his early years, Qian Heng and the three sons of the Earl of Anchang, as well as the eldest son of the Marquis of Anyang, were known as the most unruly people in the capital, treating brothels as if they were their own homes.

Since the confiscation of Anchang Earl's property, Qian Heng and the eldest son of Anyang Marquis have quieted down and dared not act recklessly.

Master Yan walked into the school, glanced at Qian Heng and the others, and then sat down to begin lecturing.

Lu Zhao, who was the first among the young masters to become restless and was closest to Qian Heng, leaned close to Qian Heng's ear and said, "Brother Qian, are we really going to listen to Master Yan's lecture here?"

Qian Heng found listening to lectures like listening to chanting scriptures, and he was extremely unwilling to do so.

But since he had taken Qian Duoduo's money, he had to get things done.

Once it's all done, his father will probably praise him.

Thinking of this, Qian Heng felt quite pleased with himself and didn't take Lu Zhao's words to heart. "Why are you in such a hurry, Brother Lu? Once things are settled, we'll go to the Fragrant Powder Pavilion for some fun and relaxation."

Tao Youqing, standing to the side, chuckled maliciously, "Brother Qian, don't you know what Brother Lu likes?"

Reminded by Tao Youqing, Qian Heng's face showed a hint of embarrassment, but he quickly recovered and whispered, "Then let's go to the small restaurant today."

"Cough cough cough!"

As the group whispered among themselves, a cough came from the front of the school.

Immediately, the group sat up straight, like mice being carried away by a cat, not daring to move, and obediently straightened their backs to listen quietly.

"Alright, that's all for today. Go back and think carefully about what we learned in class today."

Seeing Master Yan rise, the students below all stood up and bowed in unison, saying, "Respectfully seeing off Master Yan."

After Master Yan left, the classroom instantly became lively.

"Master Yan just praised Brother Jiang. It seems that Brother Jiang has a good chance of passing the imperial examination next spring!"

That makes sense.

"Then we would like to offer our congratulations to Brother Jiang."

Everyone loves to hear compliments, and Jiang Wudu was no exception. However, he was humble and never arrogant.

He smiled faintly and said, "You're too kind, everyone. We've been classmates for many years and are all learned scholars. The imperial examination is a great event that brings honor to our families."

We can all hope to achieve good results.

Lin Wuyang patted Jiang Wudu on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Did you hear that? Our Brother Jiang speaks with such style."

However, Brother Jiang is quite right about one thing: all these students are scholars, so in the end, it's uncertain who will emerge victorious!

The group was chatting and laughing when they were soon interrupted by a sudden voice.

"Ouch! My stomach hurts so much!"

Everyone's attention was drawn to Lu Zhao's fair-skinned pageboy, who pulled a stack of yellow bamboo paper from his book box and said urgently, "Young master, let's go to the outhouse quickly."

Upon hearing this, the students present all looked grim.

Most students in the academy were from poor families. True noble families would invite great scholars or teachers to their homes for special instruction.

In the past year, this bamboo paper has been widely praised by students from impoverished families for its high quality and low price.

The bamboo paper on the desk, the ink still wet, was used by the page boy as scrap paper for Lu Zhao to use.

These impoverished students saved every penny to buy bamboo paper to write essays, all in order to pass the imperial examinations and gain official rank.

This scene deeply stung their eyes; they had been unable to realize their ambitions and were already deeply troubled by it.

Now look what's happened! A few spoiled brats have entered the school just to humiliate them.

Someone in the crowd shouted, "A scholar can be killed but not humiliated! I'll fight you to the death!"

With a shout, the students rolled up their sleeves and surrounded the few spoiled brats.

Then, heart-wrenching cries for help echoed from the school.

...

The Marquis of Lin'an's residence.

Ever since Lu Qiqi learned that bamboo paper was being used as straw paper, she has instructed Qingdai to keep a close eye on the situation.

Early in the morning, she sent Qingdai out to check on the situation, and at that time, Nineteen also returned from the manor where Li Changlong was staying.

Lu Qiqi nodded slightly when she learned that Li Changlong's seedlings were progressing well. "That's good. Now we just have to wait for the good seeds to come out."

She then asked, "What's been happening at the security escort agency these past two days?"

Nineteen, having just finished listening to the Shadow Guard's report, said, "Just as the county princess predicted, the escort agency hasn't received a single order in the past two days."

It seems that Minister Qian's daughter has no intention of buying any more bamboo paper.

Upon learning of Qian Duoduo's whereabouts, Lu Qiqi quickly wrote a letter and gave it to Nineteen.

"Have the Shadow Guards deliver this letter to Zhao Xiaodong at the paper mill in Tianxin Village as quickly as possible."

He took the envelope and asked, "Princess, does this mean the paper mills will no longer supply bamboo paper to the capital?"

Lu Qiqi explained, "No, I changed the formula for bamboo paper. Since bamboo paper made with glue can be used as straw paper, it is very popular."

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