Dean Zhou already knew Mr. Guo, since they both ran academies, and the Guo family's academy was quite well-known before the capital was moved.
Dean Zhou felt great sympathy for the Guo family's plight and the death of Mr. Guo, and he usually took good care of Guo Wenhao, a shy and introverted boy.
At this moment, he smiled and took the juice, asking, "What good luck did you guys agree on while playing football under the blazing sun?"
Guo Wenhao's eyes sparkled as he replied, "If the Wind and Thunder team loses, buy the Gale team three days' worth of cold drinks. If the Gale team loses, give the Wind and Thunder team two Jade Melons."
"Hahaha, you lads, you've got quite the appetite!" Dean Zhou couldn't help but laugh, replying, "Since I'm here, I'll add a little more prize for you. The winning team gets a feast tonight, eight dishes and a jar of wine!"
"Really?" Guo Wenhao was overjoyed and quickly bowed in greeting before running off to share the good news with everyone.
The boys on the field had already seen the dean arrive, and when they heard that a banquet had been added as a prize, they shouted even louder, chasing the ball and swinging their legs like whirlwinds, leaving a trail of sparks and lightning.
In just 15 minutes, the game was decided, with the Gale team winning by one point.
Cat Brother and Zhimin hugged each other, jumping and shouting as if they had won the whole world.
The guys on the Wind and Thunder team were quite gentlemanly; none of them swore or cursed. Instead, they rushed to drink water while reviewing the game, talking about which goal they had conceded unjustly.
Dean Zhou sent a silver ingot to the Gale Team. Cat Brother took it in his hand and generously invited his opponents.
"Brothers, the dean gave us a generous sum as a prize, enough for two tables of food and drink. Shall we have a drink together tonight?"
"Alright! We have to drink until we drop!"
"Haha, we get some drinks! That's generous of you!"
"I have to eat something, I'm exhausted!"
The boys from the Wind and Thunder Team beamed with joy, shouting their approval in response, extremely happy.
Cat Bro added, "Then I'll have Zheng Qi fetch the jade melon and chill it in ice water. We'll eat it together tonight. But don't forget, you still need to buy us three days' worth of iced drinks!"
"Haha, junior brother is so loyal! Don't worry, we keep our word!" The students of the Wind and Thunder Team cheered. Even though they lost the game, they still got to eat jade melons and drink wine. This day was perfect!
The twenty-odd boys hastily put on their clothes, then bowed to Mr. Cheng and Dean Zhou before heading off to take a bath, arm in arm.
The students who had been watching the commotion gradually dispersed.
Of course, the fastest to run were the old women and maids who served the master's household.
They were hiding behind the trees, blushing, but they got a real treat for their eyes...
Dean Zhou wasn't in a hurry to leave either. He drank juice and ate jade melon with Mr. Cheng.
After a long while, looking at the empty stadium, Dean Zhou let out a long sigh.
"The hospital will be closed for seven days starting tomorrow. If anyone asks, just say that there will be an exam in seven days, and students who fail will be expelled."
Closing the college meant that the entire college was closed to study. Except for the small door near the canteen that was open to people who were allowed to go out to buy things, no one else, including Dean Zhou, was allowed to enter or leave.
Naturally, the students' families are also not allowed to come and visit.
Mr. Cheng was taken aback for a moment, then his face lit up with joy. "Dean, that's the right thing to do."
Dean Zhou also laughed, "I was wrong before. The court is dangerous. If an old man like me, who has become stupid from reading too much, gets involved, I'm afraid I won't even have any bones left."
"It would be better to stay here and guard the academy, protect the peace of the area, and watch these boys grow up safely."
Mr. Cheng was not good with words, so he could only stand up and bow deeply...
At dinner time, two banquet tables were set up in the private rooms of the canteen, with twelve boys at each table, making it a bit crowded.
But young people love being in a lively atmosphere; they feel closer when they're all together.
Li Laosan was happy to know that his nephews had won the football match.
Even if the dean hadn't given him five taels of silver, he wouldn't have been stingy with the food and wine.
You know, these kids, regardless of their family background, just by studying at the academy for a few years, will all have bright futures after they graduate.
These are all connections my nephews have. They'll have classmates wherever they go in the future, and everything will surely go smoothly for them.
Especially classmates who played football shirtless together, drank together to celebrate victories, and were like brothers!
The kitchen staff also pulled out all the stops, preparing eight dishes that were not only delicious and visually appealing, but also served them in large bowls, as if afraid the boys wouldn't have enough to eat.
Not only that, Li Laosan also specially delivered a food box to the Zhou family, adding a plate of "Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate" and a plate of "Golden Jade Abundance" to the dean's table, which made the dean unable to resist drinking a couple of small glasses of wine...
Leaving aside how lively things were at the academy, let's return to Shou Kang Palace. The Empress Dowager waited for two whole days, but the Imperial Concubine did not come to pay her respects.
Even the most foolish person would probably realize that something bad has happened.
The Empress Dowager smashed almost all the porcelain in the room because of this. When it got dark, she could no longer hold back and let the old eunuch leave the palace through the secret passage.
Unfortunately, she didn't know that guards had been stationed at the secret passage for days...
The Empress Dowager stayed in the main hall all night without closing her eyes for a single moment.
She was gambling, gambling that the last remaining man hadn't been discovered, gambling that she still had a fighting chance.
As dawn broke, the old eunuch still hadn't returned...
She couldn't hold on any longer and started screaming and yelling in a rage, smashing whatever she could grab!
"I refuse to accept this! Why, why!"
The commotion inside the room startled the eunuchs and palace maids guarding the door awake. Even though they were still half asleep, their first instinct was to kneel down immediately.
This is the first rule for survival in Shou Kang Palace!
At that moment, the palace gates were suddenly pushed open, and a hundred or so guards rushed in, wielding long swords. They kicked people down, dislocated their jaws, and tied them up like dumplings.
Even the Empress Dowager was not spared; before she could even recover, her hands were already tied behind her back.
She was furious to the point of madness, yelling at the top of her lungs, "Insolence! You lowly servant, stop! I want to see the Emperor! Let him come! Let him come!"
Unfortunately, the guards didn't listen to her at all. They quickly tied her up tightly, gagged her, threw her onto the bed in the inner chamber, and left without a word...
Meanwhile, the emperor, who had just gotten up and changed into a clean dragon robe, had already received the last list of names confessed by the old eunuch.
He rarely smiled, and said with a smug look, "Good, all the hidden dangers have finally been found. Once I dig them out one by one, there will be no more turmoil in the court. I can rest assured..."
Chief Steward Yi kept his head down and knelt to put on the Emperor's boots, as if he hadn't heard anything.
Only upon closer inspection can one discern the complexity in his eyes.
Serving the Emperor for decades, none of it has been as difficult as these two months.
The dying emperor was like a wounded wild beast, wishing he could eliminate all threats so that his offspring could grow up safely and peacefully after his death...
At this point, let alone anyone harboring malicious intent, even the slightest hint of malice could easily result in being reduced to ashes.
He had expected another bloody day, but the Emperor suppressed the list. Then, he asked Chief Eunuch Yi, "What has the Third Princess been doing these past few days?"
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