Gu Qinlan calmly replied, "As long as you didn't provoke them, you are on the side of justice. How can I blame you? What crime have you committed in defending your mother's dignity? If you allow others to insult your mother and do nothing, then you are truly unfilial."

A warm feeling welled up in Zheng Fenghui's heart, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Gu Qinlan gently pulled him onto the carriage, and the group returned to the school.

Master Liao's face was as cold as ice, and he said firmly, "Madam Zheng, I have made my position very clear. I will never teach Zheng Fenghui again, and even if you use the name of the Duan Prince's Mansion to pressure me, I will not yield."

Gu Qinlan smiled slightly and replied calmly, "Master Liao, you misunderstand. I am not here to beg you to continue to accept Zheng Fenghui. I am here to ask you to apologize to Zheng Fenghui."

Master Liao was stunned for a moment, then asked in surprise, "Me, apologize to Zheng Fenghui?"

Gu Qinlan nodded, her tone firm: "Yes, and Lou Zhejie should also publicly apologize to Zheng Fenghui."

Master Liao couldn't help but chuckle: "Madam Zheng, you are being far too absurd. How can I, as your teacher, apologize to my student?"

Gu Qinlan raised an eyebrow and retorted, "Does that mean a teacher can't make mistakes? Does a teacher not need to apologize for making mistakes? Even if the emperor makes a mistake, he should be punished the same as the common people. As a teacher, do you think you can be above the emperor?"

Master Liao was taken aback and felt a little flustered: "You're talking nonsense! That's not what I meant!"

Gu Qinlan smiled and said, "Then, Master Liao, please apologize to Zheng Fenghui now."

As soon as she finished speaking, she pulled Zheng Fenghui to the front.

Zheng Fenghui was filled with confusion at this moment.

Master Liao was also puzzled: "What exactly do you want to do?"

Gu Qinlan asked, "Did I not express myself clearly?"

Master Liao insisted, "Apologizing to a student is absolutely impossible. Zheng Fenghui hit Lou Zhejie and pushed me. I've already been magnanimous by not holding him accountable. Asking me to apologize to him is utterly absurd!"

Gu Qinlan's expression gradually turned serious: "Zheng Fenghui did hit Lou Zhejie, and he also accidentally pushed you, we don't deny that. But have you really figured out why he attacked Lou Zhejie?"

Master Liao glared angrily: "No matter the reason, it is wrong to resort to violence."

Gu Qinlan sneered: "Is that really the case? If someone insulted your mother in front of you, would you forgive them so easily?"

Master Liao's face immediately turned ashen: "Anyone who insults my mother is guilty of an unforgivable crime!"

Gu Qinlan immediately interjected, "Since the teacher shares this view, then my son Zheng Fenghui did nothing wrong today. Lou Zhejie deserved it! He not only deserved to be beaten, but he should also apologize to us!"

Master Liao was speechless for a moment: "Their argument... was it really like this?"

Gu Qinlan's face was as cold as ice: "So, even now, the Master still doesn't know the truth of the matter?"

Master Liao was extremely embarrassed and stammered, "I...I..."

Gu Qinlan bluntly stated: "Master Liao subconsciously sided with Lou Zhejie because he saw his wife's friend's son being harmed, without knowing the truth. If you were just an ordinary person, it would be understandable to do so, but as a teacher, you bear the heavy responsibility of educating people. You must act justly and selflessly, otherwise how can you convince the public? How can the students you cultivate have the character to be trusted?"

Master Liao looked somewhat embarrassed: "This is just a misunderstanding, why make such a fuss?"

Gu Qinlan sneered repeatedly: "Misunderstanding? Do you think you can use the word 'misunderstanding' to lightly gloss over such a despicable act? To put it mildly, you are unable to distinguish right from wrong and are confused; to put it more seriously, this is dereliction of duty and immorality, condoning evil! If I make this public, do you think any parents would still be willing to entrust their children to your education!"

At this moment, Master Liao felt a sense of panic: "Madam Zheng, please calm down. This matter was truly due to my mishandling and failure to thoroughly investigate the cause. Now that the truth has come to light, I will immediately send someone to summon Lou Zhejie to apologize."

Lou Zhejie was summoned shortly afterward.

Gu Qinlan's gaze fell on Lou Zhejie. She lowered her head slightly and glanced at Zheng Fenghui, thinking to herself that this young man was really ruthless. Look at how Lou's son was beaten, his eyes were swollen and black, like a defeated rooster.

Zheng Fenghui, however, was unaware of Gu Qinlan's gaze and was only staring at Lou Zhejie with resentment.

Lou Zhejie was glared at by Zheng Fenghui and hurriedly hid behind Teacher Liao, still complaining loudly: "Teacher, look! Zheng Fenghui looks fierce and menacing. He must still want to attack me. Please expel him from the school!"

Master Liao coughed awkwardly, looking troubled: "Lou Zhejie, don't worry, Zheng Fenghui won't be violent towards you again. However, you have to apologize to Zheng Fenghui."

Lou Zhejie was stunned. After a moment, he shouted with a face full of indignation, "He hit me, why should I apologize to him?!"

Gu Qinlan's tone was firm: "Just because you started the trouble and spoke ill of others, you deserved to be beaten, and apologizing is your duty. If you don't apologize, then I'll have Zheng Fenghui teach you another lesson until you willingly utter those three words!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Fenghui immediately rolled up his sleeves, looking eager to try.

Lou Zhejie screamed in fright and quickly hid behind Master Liao.

Master Liao quickly spread his arms, trying to stop her: "Madam Zheng, please calm down. This is a dispute between the younger generation. It is probably inappropriate for adults to interfere."

This was truly the first time he had ever encountered parents so protective of their own children!

Gu Qinlan's tone was cold and firm: "I don't believe this was just an unintentional act by the children. The Zheng family has always disliked causing trouble, but if anyone deliberately provokes us, we will let them know the consequences of provoking the Zheng family!"

Although Zou has remarried and is no longer a member of the Zheng family, she is still Zheng Fenghui's biological mother. Insulting her is insulting Zheng Fenghui, and insulting Zheng Fenghui is insulting the Zheng family.

Gu Qinlan didn't feel much belonging to the Zheng family, but that didn't mean she would stand by and watch others insult the Zheng family.

After all, she is now a member of the Zheng family, and she feels the same way when the Zheng family is humiliated.

Master Liao was suffering from a splitting headache. He never expected that this seemingly young, beautiful, gentle, and well-mannered woman would be so resilient and unyielding.

To make matters worse, the other party's identity was extraordinary. Zheng Dinglian was the heir apparent of Prince Duan, while he was just a poor schoolteacher. How could he dare to confront him head-on? His previous bold statement about expelling Zheng Fenghui was merely because he thought he had the moral high ground.

Now that the truth has come to light, he feels incredibly uneasy, fearing that the other party will pursue the matter relentlessly and put him in an embarrassing position.

So he decisively pulled Lou Zhejie aside: "You made a mistake first, and you deserve to be punished. Now, apologize to Zheng Fenghui immediately."

Lou Zhejie's eyes widened in astonishment: "Uncle Liao, how could you speak up for him? Have you forgotten Aunt Liao's instructions? She asked you to take good care of me."