Chapter 172 Staying in the Great Wilderness is not bad?
The tightly closed door was opened shortly afterward.
An elderly man, who appeared to be around fifty years old, emerged from the house. Unlike most men his age, he had white hair and beard.
The old man calmly emerged, holding a scroll in his hand, and asked with a slight frown, "What happened?"
As he spoke, he noticed Ping'er kneeling beside him and immediately frowned: "Why are you still kneeling here?"
The groom immediately stepped forward two more times: "Dean, it's me."
"What do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'what do you mean'? If you have something to say, say it later. What's with the panicked manner?"
Ping'er immediately crawled two steps on her knees and raised the rattan cane: "Dean, please punish me. No matter how you punish me, I will have no complaints. I only ask that you give me a chance to explain. I really didn't mean to hurt my classmate. It was my classmate who provoked me first."
At the same time, Du Fuzi, who was not far away, stepped forward and said, "Dean, what Ping'er said is true. I was there at the time."
"shut up!"
Dean Xue was clearly furious, his brows furrowed tightly. He slammed his book heavily on his hand and said disappointedly, "Master Du, you are supposed to be a teacher, how can you let such unworthy students fool around with you? What kind of place is the academy? Do you even remember it?"
"And you, you know the rules of the academy. I've said it before, my students, Xue Fengyi's students, will never be tyrannical. But did you even listen to me? You even threatened your fellow students; your character is truly questionable."
Since you say you'll accept any punishment without complaint, I'll tell you now: your punishment is expulsion from the academy. Our Gu Kui Academy doesn't need a student like you. Go back. Master Du, return all the tuition fees he submitted, send him home, and explain to his family that our academy cannot afford to educate someone like him.”
After saying that, he let out a heavy snort.
"Dean, Dean! I really have something urgent to attend to."
The driver was so anxious that sweat was pouring down his forehead.
"What are you panicking for? Just tell me!" Dean Xue said, rubbing his temples.
The coachman knelt down with a thud: "It's really bad, Madam...she might have stopped breathing!"
"What did you say?" Dean Xue's expression was already somewhat displeased. Upon hearing this, the book in his hand fell to the ground with a thud: "Madam was perfectly fine this morning, you mustn't be talking nonsense!"
"My lord, it's true. She was perfectly fine when she left home this morning, but somehow she suddenly fainted. When I returned to report to you, the doctor said that Madam had passed away."
Upon hearing this, Dean Xue nearly stumbled and fell to the ground. Fortunately, Professor Du was there to catch him.
Dean Xue shook off Master Du's hand and stumbled forward.
The coachman wiped the sweat from his brow, scrambled to his feet, and jogged forward to lead the way.
Ping'er got up to chase after him, but was stopped by Master Du.
Master Du frowned deeply, and after a long while, he finally exhaled: "The Dean's family must have something important to attend to. Even if you chase after them, it probably won't end well. It's not a good time to bother them now, so it's better to save your energy."
Seeing Ping'er stop abruptly, looking somewhat composed, he said with exasperation, "You were really impulsive this time! Even if you wanted to fight, you should have waited until after the children's examination next year. Although he can be a bit annoying sometimes, is it really worth giving up a bright future for someone like him?"
"Master," Ping'er's voice trembled slightly, "I know I was wrong, but do I really have no chance? I must take the preliminary exam next year. The whole family's hopes rest on me."
Master Du couldn't bear to look into his eyes: "Ping'er, don't think too much. Go back first. Once the headmaster calms down, I'll plead for you again. That way, you won't be unable to come to the school. However, getting the headmaster's letter of recommendation might be difficult."
In fact, Ping'er was his disciple. However, Ping'er was a criminal, and to take the preliminary examination, she needed a letter of recommendation. This was the main reason why these teachers were stationed at the academy. Who wouldn't want their student to pass the imperial examination with flying colors? The academy's headmaster was highly respected; only with his letter of recommendation could the children take their first step on this path to officialdom.
Unfortunately, Ping'er's journey was not smooth.
Knowing the whole story, Master Du naturally trusted his student. However, no matter how he explained, the dean only said that he had been blinded. If things continued this way, he would follow in his footsteps.
For those from Liujiang County with criminal records, the dean's letter of recommendation is practically the only way to pass the preliminary examination.
Ping'er is young but quite knowledgeable, so the small test is not difficult for him. However, he probably can't even enter the examination hall nowadays.
But Ping'er was still too young, so Master Du couldn't say such things to him.
The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. He could only tell him, "Remember this: never resort to violence lightly again. Even if you're in the right, you'll never come out on top."
Ping'er remained lost in thought for a long time. He didn't even realize when the vine had fallen down. He pursed his lips and looked at Master Du: "Master, is there any other way for me to participate in the small exam?"
"I'm afraid not." Master Du met his longing eyes and finally sighed, as if he had sighed out all the anger of his life. "It's all my fault for being useless. If I weren't also a demoted person, perhaps I could write you this letter of introduction. Or perhaps, if I had some prestige, I wouldn't need to."
Having said that, he paused abruptly, patted Ping'er on the shoulder, and said, "Perhaps, Ping'er, it wouldn't be bad if you could become a teacher someday. When your students pass the imperial examinations one day, you might also benefit from the honor."
Perhaps realizing his words sounded too dejected, Master Du smiled again: "It's not necessarily as you say. Perhaps the dean will be willing to write a letter of recommendation for you in a while. You're still young. Waiting three more years for the preliminary exams wouldn't be a bad idea."
"I don't have that much time left."
Master Du's lips twitched slightly: "Perhaps, staying in the Great Wilderness is quite good, there's no need to go out, right?"
Ping'er clenched her fists secretly: "Thank you, teacher. I'll go back to class now."
Master Du stopped him after hearing this: "Ping'er, since the dean has spoken, I'll send you back for now. It's probably not safe for you to stay at the academy for the time being."
When Master Du said these words, he felt guilty, knowing how heavy those words were for the child.
Ping'er pursed her lips and after a long while said, "Ping'er understands. Pack your things and go back. There's no need to trouble the teacher."
Master Du: "No, I'll go back with you."
Master Du knew that this child was proud and ambitious, and he didn't know if he could withstand this blow. Even if the dean hadn't said anything, he had already made up his mind to send him back: "I promised your mother that I would take good care of you, and now you should go and apologize and explain the whole story."
(End of this chapter)
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