Chapter 5 Chapter 5 In a fit of anger

After reading the entire text, Yuan Yi chuckled and commented, "The original poem was intended to satirize the emperor, but your article remains silent on the emperor's virtues and instead talks about combating corruption and promoting integrity... Back then, Imperial Censor Yu was an upright official who dared to speak out and criticize in court. Such a righteous spirit has not been passed down to his descendants at all."

If she dares to speak out and criticize after passing the exam, that's called being an upright official. But if she criticizes the emperor before even taking the exam, she's afraid of being rejected during the political review process.

“Mr. Yuan, you are mistaken,” Yu Mingshu said neither humbly nor arrogantly. “When the late king made mistakes in his governance, there were always loyal ministers who spoke frankly and offered advice. The current emperor governs with virtue and his reputation is widespread. If I were to presumptuously comment on the virtue of a ruler, wouldn’t I be seen as someone who seeks fame and fortune?”

Yuan Yi sneered inwardly, picked up his cup, and took a sip of the cold tea to hide his displeasure.

"If you were born a man, you would surely be a treacherous minister."

Yu Mingshu clearly sensed that Yuan Yi's attitude towards her had worsened, but she always felt that this dissatisfaction was not directed at her.

Seeing that Yuan Yi was about to pretend to be mute, Yu Mingshu could not suppress his anxiety and unease and stubbornly asked, "With the level of this answer sheet, if I were born a man, could I enter Chang'an Academy?"

Yuan Yi remained silent, as if he had thought it over carefully, and looked at her seriously: "More than enough."

Yu Mingshu was taken aback, and it took him a while to realize what he had said.

This surprise was no less than the feeling of receiving a preliminary acceptance letter before time travel.

She spoke hesitantly, "Then what about the matter of accompanying someone to study earlier..."

Yuan Yi replied, "I cannot make that decision."

Yu Mingshu's lips, which were about to rise but then froze.

He thought to himself: You can't make the decisions, yet you're setting questions for me?

The light suddenly dimmed, and four figures appeared at the door. Yuan Yi frowned slightly, then stood up.

"Teacher, you've arrived."

Upon hearing the word "teacher," Yu Mingshu quickly looked towards the door. He saw an elderly man with gray hair and a gloomy face walk into the room. Outside the door stood three students, one tall and two short, who stood in a row, hesitating and blocking the door frame completely.

She had just seen the taller one, or rather, she had just bumped into him.

The two shorter men had faces as black as the bottom of a pot, making it almost impossible to see their features, but Yu Mingshu remembered Zhang Sanlang's eggplant-skin-like clothes, and the one on the far right was Zhang Jun.

The phrase "black faces" is not a figurative expression; their faces were clearly smeared with ink, with the ink stains spreading outwards from their lips, and their collars were also unfortunately stained.

Yu Mingshu then looked at the tall man, who was clean and tidy except for his hands, which were stained with ink.

The sequence of events seems obvious.

Yu Mingshu withdrew his scrutinizing gaze and greeted Yang Congen: "Mingshu greets Lord Yang."

Yang Congen had just entered the academy when he was dragged to the classroom to adjudicate a case, and he was in a terrible mood. He glanced at her briefly, then sat down, leaned back in his chair, and looked at Yuan Yi: "What's going on with him?"

Yuan Yi's gaze fell on Xie Wu and Zhang San. After hesitating for a moment, he stepped forward and poured Yang Congen a cup of tea.

Those around him only saw him lean close to Yang Congen and whisper something in his ear, but they couldn't hear what he said.

Yang Congen's brow furrowed deeper and deeper, and he finally looked directly at Yu Mingshu: "Was this your own idea?"

Yu Mingshu replied, "Yes."

Yang Congen accepted the tea offered by the student and said in a deep voice, "This matter requires careful consideration. I need to deal with their issues first. You can come back later."

Yu Mingshu hesitated, fearing that this was just a pretext to appease her.

Yang Congen stopped looking at her and turned to Yuan Yi, saying, "I'm about to hold court again, Xiao Yi, you'll teach two lessons for me."

Yuan Yi glanced at the three people at the door and reluctantly replied, "Yes."

Seeing Yuan Yi turn to leave, Yu Mingshu knew she couldn't just stay in the house, so she quickly lowered her head and followed.

At the doorway, He Zheng tactfully stepped back to let the two pass. As he brushed past Yu Mingshu, a dull ache returned to his chest, and he subconsciously touched the wound.

Yu Mingshu didn't miss his subtle movement. She frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "I didn't bump into you this time."

Back in the "teaching building," Yuan Yi went straight to the classroom where Yu Dan was. Yu Mingshu followed him to the door and even wanted to follow him inside.

Yuan Yi raised his hand as if to stop him: "Master Yang has not yet agreed to the matter of accompanying you to study. You should go back first today." After saying that, he went into the classroom by himself, leaving Yu Mingshu alone at the door.

…

Yu Mingshu originally intended to wait at the entrance of the academy for Yang Congen to come out, but little did he expect that schools in ancient times also liked to call parents!

She waited at the dumpling stall opposite the academy until the afternoon, waiting for the carriages of the Xie, Zhang, and He families to arrive. She also inquired and learned that all three families had been invited by Master Yang.

That's bad; Yang Gong won't be able to get out anytime soon.

Yu Dan walked out of the academy with a light step, like a death row inmate released from prison. He saw Yu Mingshu sitting opposite the gate from a distance, hurried over, and waved his hand in front of her face.

"Sister, what are you looking at?"

Yu Mingshu came to his senses and said, "It's nothing. I still have something to ask Master Yang."

Yu Dan asked, puzzled, "Then why don't you go in and look for him?"

Yu Mingshu rolled her eyes at him: "Didn't you see those three carriages at the door?"

Following her gaze into the distance, Yu Dan suddenly remembered the conflict that morning and hurriedly asked, "You saw Lord Yang today, did he punish He Erlang?"

"He Erlang?" Yu Mingshu had never heard of this name before, but a figure automatically popped into her mind. "Is he the tallest of the three who were summoned to Zhishan Hall?"

Yu Dan nodded: "That's right, you even bumped into him when you went out."

"Yang Gongtong sent me away after saying only two words. How am I supposed to find out anything?"

Yu Mingshu looked Yu Dan up and down and then noticed that there were ink marks on his hands. Her alarm bells went off immediately, and she grabbed his hand to examine it carefully. "Is this related to you again?"

Yu Dan immediately protested his innocence: "Zhang San and Xie Wu provoked me, and I was prepared to swallow my anger, but He Erlang is chivalrous and righteous, and he can't stand them bullying others, so he insisted on standing up for me!"

Yu Mingshu still didn't quite understand after hearing this, and clenched her fists even tighter: "What exactly happened? Tell me from the beginning."

Under scrutinizing eyes and with his wrist being held, Yu Dan had no choice but to recount the events truthfully.

The story is quite simple. Xie Wu and Zhang San provoked Yu Dan, and He Zheng, seeing injustice, picked up the ink stick on the table and decided to uphold justice.

Yu Mingshu's eyes widened in shock, and she involuntarily gripped Yu Dan's wrist tightly. "Did He Erlang really throw the ink stick into Zhang San's mouth from a distance?"

Yu Dan winced in pain, shaking off her "claws" before saying, "It's absolutely true! Zhang San was about to hit someone, but He Er easily pinned him down! He Er grabbed an ink stick and shoved it into Zhang San's mouth, splashing ink all over his mouth!"

Yu Mingshu frowned: "Then what about Xie Wu?"

"Xie Wu is a hypocrite. Don't be fooled by his brotherly relationship with Zhang San. When trouble comes, he's the first to run away. When He Er was dealing with Zhang San, he was practically hiding against the wall, yet he still had a stubborn mouth. Since he provoked us, He Er naturally couldn't let him off the hook."

Yu Mingshu generally disapproves of fighting, but since He Zheng is standing up for her brother, this principle can be temporarily set aside.

"You and He Er are quite close?"

"Of course!" Yu Dan said with pride, and then began to talk about He Zheng's family background.

The He family originated from the military camp in Youzhou. Originally, they were not a prominent family. They were granted the title of Earl by relying on their merits in supporting the emperor and their nepotism. Among the many families in Chang'an, they were in the middle and were often ostracized by those self-proclaimed noble families.

He Zheng originally studied at the Chongwen Hall in the Eastern Palace. At the end of last year, he got into a fight with his classmates, and the fight was quite fierce. Even his aunt, the Empress, couldn't protect him, so he had no choice but to transfer to Chang'an Academy.

Two years older, having transferred schools, and facing exclusion from his family, He Zheng's situation at Chang'an Academy was not much different from Yu Dan's. Their similar circumstances naturally led them to form an alliance.

Yu Mingshu sighed inwardly. No wonder Yu Dan felt that studying was useless, having been immersed in the fame and fortune arena where people from different social classes discriminated against each other all day long.

She patted her younger brother's shoulder heavily and said, "You owe He Erlang a favor. Don't forget to thank him tomorrow."

"Don't worry, Sister. He Er is broad-minded and won't hold a grudge," Yu Dan said nonchalantly.

Yu Mingshu grabbed his ear and said in a serious tone, "He Zheng doesn't mind because he's a good person, but if you don't mind, that's called being an ingrate."

Yu Dan winced in pain, covered his ear, and backed away, glaring resentfully at Yu Mingshu: "I'll thank him, I'll thank him in person tomorrow, okay?"

…

The students left the academy one after another, and He Zheng was also dragged away from Zhishan Hall by his elder brother He Ting.

He Zheng had barely stepped out of the corridor when he broke free from He Ting's grasp. He turned around and spat at Zhishan Hall, saying, "A bunch of parasites who live off the family's legacy. I hit them, so be it. If they have the guts, they can go to the palace and file a complaint with the emperor. It would be best if Chang'an Academy expelled me as well!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than He Ting kicked him from behind, sending the seemingly robust young man flying a good ten feet away.

"Still being stubborn?"

He Zheng gritted his teeth, clutched his thigh, and stood up unsteadily, remaining silent for a long time.

He Ting was fifteen years older than He Zheng. At that time, the He family had not yet entered the capital and been granted the title of Earl of Anyuan. He Ting grew up in the military camp in Youzhou. He had carried a broadsword, been on the battlefield, and earned military merits by killing enemies with his strength.

Although He Zheng had also practiced martial arts since childhood, he was unable to fight back against his elder brother.

Seeing He Ting stride up to catch up, He Zheng endured the pain and quickened his pace, thinking to himself: This injury is much worse than the bruise on my chest.

"Don't think that just because you caused trouble and got yourself kicked out of the academy, you don't have to study anymore."

He Ting put his long arm around his shoulder and pressed down on him, his tone threatening: "If Chang'an Academy can no longer accommodate you, I will have to ask a teacher to come to our mansion to teach you. Now that the world is at peace, my father and I are both very free and have plenty of time to accompany you in your studies."

He Zheng felt a chill run down his spine. "Then there's no need. Chang'an Academy is quite good."

Having said that, he turned his feet and nimbly twisted his upper body, slipping away from his brother's grasp once again, just like an eel that doesn't get caught.

He Ting frowned as he watched him stride off westward: "Where are you going?"

He Zheng didn't turn his head and said, "The outhouse."

He Ting looked away with disdain and said, "I'll wait for you in the car."

A note from the author:

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