Lin Mo rubbed his wrist, feeling somewhat ashamed and indignant, and said, "I... I just wanted to retrieve my name card. But they deliberately humiliated me, clearly showing they don't respect you at all."
"You're the one who doesn't respect me." He looked at him coldly, his dark eyes like a frozen pool in the dead of winter, filled with disgust and impatience. "If you still want to follow me in the future, don't bother him anymore."
Lin Mo had never seen Xu Silin like this before. His lips parted slightly, but he dared not speak again. Finally, he lowered his head in the midday sun.
Xu Silin then turned to Shen Qingchen: "I don't really care whether you take me seriously or not. Since he wrote the poem and fell into your trap, I have nothing to say. Just hand the name card to the teacher, say you are innocent, and tell the teacher about your clever idea. Maybe you can even win praise."
He was an outstanding individual from a young age, accustomed to being the center of attention under his father's powerful aura. He didn't care how many people ignored him; all he cared about was how many people around him he could truly care about. Lin Mo didn't understand.
Just as Qingchen was about to speak, he spoke again: "However, he is my friend, and I will naturally stand up for him if he is wronged. But I'm not in a hurry. You still have two years in the Hanlin Academy, and you have a lifetime on this official career. You'd better be careful in the future and not make any mistakes. If I catch you doing something wrong, I will definitely... personally bully you."
He stood ramrod straight, his chin slightly raised, with a sliver of white showing at the bottom of his eyes, giving him a cool and unruly appearance.
Gu Shaoheng, who had been listening for a while, finally spoke up: "No need to wait until later. Since we're all young and full of vigor, why don't we stretch our muscles now? Qingchen is thin and weak, so you won't suffer any losses. If we make a big fuss and attract the attention of the Hanlin Academy officials, then no one should try to argue or make excuses; we'll all be punished together. How about it? Are you brave enough?"
Not all the junior scholars were bookworms. Gu Shaoheng was a pampered young master who was also impulsive and would think of fighting at the slightest disagreement.
Before Xu Silin could respond, Shen Qingchen immediately grabbed his arm. "Don't do this. I never intended to give this name card to the teacher." With that, she took Lin Mo's name card from his sleeve and placed it on the table in front of him.
The three of them were stunned and stared at her. Gu Shaoheng looked confused, Lin Mo looked suspicious, and Xu Silin remained expressionless.
“I did this simply because I didn’t want to be wronged for nothing, and I wanted to know who this person was,” she said calmly. “I’m not a particularly virtuous person, nor am I ashamed to denounce others. I didn’t say anything because it wasn’t a very serious matter, and I wanted to satisfy my own compassion. I know that if I exposed him, I would feel guilty, which would be more painful than being wronged.”
She turned to Lin Mo and said frankly, "I chose not to speak because I still have a choice. Today I just want to tell you, Lin Mo, I hope you won't push others into a situation where they have no choice. You made a mistake, and that's it. It won't change the nature of this matter because of my choice. I'm not asking you to thank me today. I'm just expressing my thoughts. We were classmates, and although you don't like my humble background, I cherish the bond I have with each and every one of you."
Shen Qingchen knew that in modern times, many people might call her a "white lotus." But that's what she really thought.
She was a time traveler, arriving suddenly and perhaps leaving just as suddenly. She had only ever read about the history of the Ming Dynasty in books, never imagining she would meet these living, breathing people. These people were all still students, barely adults, untouched by the corruption of officialdom, and mostly innocent and endearing. Living among them, she was both a participant and an observer, and this rare experience made her feel she should cherish it.
Her decision to do this stemmed not only from her own inner struggles but also from another reason, tinged with a sense of helplessness. If she were to expose Lin Mo this time, it would inevitably incur his resentment. Lin Mo came from a prestigious family, while she was merely from a humble background. She didn't want to cause trouble for herself; she wanted to protect her secret and continue living a peaceful life in the Ming Dynasty.
After he finished speaking, the hall fell silent for a moment.
Lin Mo picked up the name card from the table, looked at it, put it in his sleeve, and left the classroom without saying a word.
Gu Shaoheng watched his retreating figure disappear by the door and spat, "You appreciate the favor, but you don't even know how to say thank you."
Xu Silin looked at the young man before him. He was handsome and gentle, dressed in a light blue robe. His fair skin made him look even more delicate, but his words carried great weight.
Do you cherish the connections you have with everyone?
He was a little conflicted for a moment, and after a long pause, he asked, "How do you plan to convince the teacher not to punish you?"
Shen Qingchen had said a lot and thought a lot, but now he said somewhat helplessly, "I will have my own way, so you don't need to worry about it."
He listened, his lips slightly parted as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't say anything and turned to leave.
Before the afternoon class, the sun was shining brightly outside the window, the yard was lush with greenery, and the classroom was brightly lit.
Most of the officials arrived in the hall very early, discussing among themselves. Everyone was curious about the name cards, so they surrounded Gu Shaoheng, asking him to reveal some details.
Gu Shaoheng hesitated for an entire afternoon, his heart almost bursting with the urge to announce the matter publicly. However, Qingchen had already instructed him, and he didn't want to go against her wishes. Qingchen was ultimately too kind; if it were him, he would have repaid her tenfold for any injustice he suffered.
However, he also knew that Shen Qingchen was different from him. He himself was going to inherit the title in the future, while Qingchen was just from a poor family. It was only natural for him to have concerns.
But this feeling is very stifling.
Faced with the questions and teasing from his classmates, Gu Shaoheng rested his chin on his hand on the table, his handsome face sullen and his signature dimples nowhere to be seen, looking somewhat irritated.
He glanced at Shen Qingchen beside him and saw her writing something with her head down, looking very focused and serious, as if she wasn't troubled at all about whether to speak or not.
He glanced at Lin Mo again. Lin Mo was sitting in the front row, his back to them, motionless. Gu Shaoheng couldn't help but think to himself, "That bastard, he's scared now, isn't he?" The thought of him crying wolf, acting superior because of his noble family background and looking down on scholars from humble backgrounds, filled Gu Shaoheng with utter contempt. What a disgrace to the aristocratic family! He's utterly disgraced them; he deserves to be taught a lesson by his master, Xu Silin.
"Who exactly is Gu Shaoheng? Tell us a little something before Teacher Song arrives," someone urged.
Gu Shaoheng waved his hand, somewhat impatiently saying, "Wrong, wrong, we couldn't find anyone. You can all leave now."
A chorus of boos erupted.
At this moment, Shen Qingchen was focused on writing and drawing.
Hearing the discussions around her, she wasn't entirely unmoved by the matter, but there was no point in dwelling on it.
She still has a lot to do.
Qingchen has always felt guilty towards her second uncle for teaching Lin Yu, so she has been thinking about how to improve her teaching methods recently.
She was both a teacher and a student. Since Song Yue became their teacher, Qingchen had learned a great deal from him. He wasn't a conventional person; compared to her previous teachers, he didn't even seem like one. His teaching methods were unconventional and unpredictable, using any topic to his advantage, yet these actions often yielded profound insights.
After returning from the Lin family, Qingchen reflected for two days. Poor teaching might not be entirely the students' fault, but the teacher must have had his reasons.
She herself had been a studious person since childhood, and she didn't need anyone to coax her to study. Originally, she thought that as long as she patiently explained things and told Lin Yu some short stories related to the lesson content, he would listen attentively. But that wasn't the case. Lin Yu's nature was different from hers. At the age when he was most restless, he was picky, naughty, playful, and easily distracted.
She thought about it for the past few days and came up with a solution—since he didn't like reading, she would give him more pictures instead.
She read a lot of comics when she was a child and loved to imitate them, so she still has some basic skills now.
Qingchen turned the lecture content into a story and then drew it in the style of a comic. Although it wasn't very detailed, it still looked about 70% like a comic.
She's drawing a lot now that classes haven't started yet, so she can use it when she goes to the Lin family to teach in a couple of days.
In the afternoon, Song Yue continued to teach using the strategy questioning method.
Lin Mo seemed to be feeling uneasy, as he did not stand up to speak for the entire class.
Xu Silin glanced at Shen Qingchen a few times, his hand holding a pen as he tried to refute others' opinions, but he didn't write a single word.
After the court session ended, Shen Qingchen caught up with Song Yue in the corridor. He was on his way back to his office in the inner cabinet, his straight and tall figure appearing superior.
Hearing Shen Qingchen call him "Teacher," he stopped, turned around, and asked, "What is it?"
Shen Qingchen carried a new basin behind him and lowered his head, saying, "This student has come to apologize."
Song Yue looked at the student in front of him and raised his eyebrows slightly.
He hadn't even planned to ask about that matter yet; what offense did she plead guilty to?
Just as Qingchen was about to speak, a page boy passed by them, carrying a huge stack of books that reached right up to his nose. He gave Song Yue a perfunctory bow, then turned to Shen Qingchen, "Qingchen, quickly help me catch these, they're so heavy!"
As he spoke, he threw the book at Shen Qingchen. Qingchen was startled and quickly stretched out her arm to catch it. Soon she felt an unbearable weight pressing down on her, almost making her lose her balance.
A moment later, the weight disappeared again.
His elegant figure leaned down towards her, his wide, crimson sleeves swaying beneath his eyes. When Qingchen looked up, Song Yue had already taken all the books into his arms. "She can't carry them all."
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