"Imperial Tutor..." The scholars lowered their proud heads, bowed deeply, their backs, symbols of integrity, and cried out with a mixture of reverence, shame, fear, and apprehension:

"This student pays respects to the Grand Tutor!"

Sanlang curled his lip and said sarcastically, "The teachers of Hongmeng Academy are not human beings. They are birds of a feather with Master Chu. How dare you call yourselves students?"

Mr. Xunmei waved his hand, and Sanlang obediently stepped aside, but his expression remained troublesome.

"I have been retired from office for many years and dare not accept such a grand gesture from you all. Jiao Sanlang is my last disciple. I have lived in seclusion in Yuzhou for many years and am unfamiliar with worldly affairs. I have come here today to clear my disciple's name and have no intention of offending you all! However, this Master Chu has distorted the truth and spoken disrespectfully to the Emperor. According to the law, he should be executed!"

As Mr. Xunmei spoke, his gaze swept over the scholars and students outside the door, but not one of them pleaded with Master Chu on his behalf.

Master Chu's face was ashen. On the verge of despair, his will to live overcame everything. He crawled to Master Xunmei on his hands and feet, kowtowing repeatedly, sobbing and lamenting, but he couldn't utter a single word.

It was purely instinctive.

Prefect Leng waved his hand and said, "Master Chu's crimes are unforgivable. I hereby pronounce judgment: Master Chu is stripped of all his titles and honors, and shall await further punishment! Drag him away, drag him away!"

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Master Chu's relatives and friends dared not linger for even a second longer and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Mr. Xunmei gave Fu Qiyuan a few instructions, bid farewell to Prefect Leng, and left the government office with the siblings.

A scholar immediately jumped out, wanting to strike up a conversation with Mr. Xunmei.

The old patriarch Fu stepped forward, grabbed one person in each hand, and threw them out.

Once inside the carriage, Jiang Shan bluntly stated, "Now that your identity has been exposed, it seems the Bamboo Cottage will never have a peaceful day again!"

Saburo also looked at his teacher with concern, his eyes filled with deep guilt.

Mr. Xunmei laughed and said, "After hiding for so many years, I've never truly had peace of mind. It's only since you all came that life has become more interesting. Now that I've gained a student like Sanlang, I should at least give you a great opportunity! For your sake, I should also bravely face the past!"

Jiang Shan pondered for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Sir, I heard that your daughter is in Yuzhou. Are you staying here so that she can find you?"

Mr. Xunmei said noncommittally, "If Heaven has feelings, even if we are at the ends of the earth, my daughter and I will eventually be reunited!"

Sanlang clenched his small hands into fists and said firmly, "Teacher, I will definitely help you find Senior Sister!"

Jiang Shan felt that the title "senior sister" was a bit strange, but when he thought that even Master Wu had become the senior brother in Sanlang's mouth, he felt relieved.

The "painting theft case" started with a great deal of noise and ended with a dramatic conclusion. Although Jiang Shan never worried that she would lose the case, the rumors did bring a lot of negative impact to the shop, and the turnover plummeted in the past few days.

What seems like a misfortune may actually be a blessing in disguise. The appearance of Grand Tutor Cheng has propelled the reputation, word-of-mouth, and influence of Jiang's Private Kitchen to new heights.

The more upright those clerks and scholars were in the beginning, the more painful the slap in the face they received later. They spontaneously lined up in front of Jiang's Private Kitchen to take turns apologizing to Jiang Shan, but they couldn't even see him.

Not only that, but four people had their VVIP status revoked.

Manager Li refunded the remaining balance on the four VIP cards and informed them in front of everyone that Jiang's Private Kitchen would no longer do business with them!

The young man in the lead looked ashen-faced; this was going to ruin their future!

"I need to see Boss Jiang! Boss Jiang, please forgive me, I didn't mean to slander you, please spare me!"

"Boss Jiang, please give me a chance! I'll drop out of school right now and never have anything to do with Hongmeng Academy again!"

"I was lied to by my teacher; I couldn't disobey his orders!"

"Boss Jiang, you can't do this to me! I have the title of a scholar and a bright future ahead of me, you can't just ruin it like this!"

No matter how much these people made a fuss, Jiangshan didn't even bother to show his face.

A carriage slowly pulled up to the door and stopped. A woman in her forties peeked out of the carriage, but her ears twitched and she quickly pulled back inside.

She strained her ears to listen to the sounds outside, her expression growing increasingly grim.

The maid Huan'er frowned and asked, "Grandma, are they talking about Miss? They're the ones spreading rumors that Miss stole something, so why are they turning around and blaming Miss for not giving them a way out?"

It would have been better if she hadn't said anything, because once she did, Jiao's mother couldn't hold back anymore.

She flung open the carriage curtain, refusing to let the maidservant help her, and jumped out of the carriage. She rushed towards the leading scholars and began to hurl insults:

"You inhuman people dare to call yourselves scholars? When you were smearing Shan'er, did you ever consider that she was framed?"

"Knowing that your teacher is morally corrupt, yet you still follow him and go along with his evil ways. You can't distinguish right from wrong, you can't tell black from white. What's the difference between you and a dog wagging its tail and begging for mercy? You should learn to be a decent human being first!"

"You were all trying to trick people, but in the end, the pit you dug ended up burying you. That's karma! What goes around comes around. Heaven doesn't forgive anyone. Heaven is watching with its eyes open to all the evil deeds people have done!"

"Huan'er, Fangniang, go get a broom and chase them away!"

Madam Jiao was decisive and efficient, and the maids and servants around her were even faster at executing their orders. Just as Huan'er was about to rush in to find a broom, the waiter at the door had already handed her one.

Fangniang grabbed a stool and cleared a path, beating the scholars until they howled in pain.

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