Chapter 1565 Extra: Mandarin Ducks Weave a Pair for Flight (Part 2)
When Wei Sheng received the news, the teahouse was in complete disarray.
She asked urgently, "Who did you fight with?"
The students who heard the commotion didn't even turn their heads: "A bunch of students from a rural academy insisted on debating the power of words with us, and when they lost the debate, they started fighting... You... Senior Wei... what brings you here?"
Wei Sheng was not old, but she had joined the Imperial Academy more than half a year earlier than this student, and the latter had to call her senior.
"If I hadn't come, would you have just let me cause trouble?"
Wei Sheng didn't quite believe the claim that they fought before they could even finish their argument.
There must be some details that have been concealed.
These students from the Imperial Academy were somewhat arrogant; it was hard to say whether their haughty remarks had angered someone. Wei Sheng raised his hand to push through the crowd and suddenly caught a glimpse of a striking figure—a young man in peach-colored robes, his naturally affectionate eyes brimming with condescending arrogance. He had one foot planted on the collapsed table, his long sword drawn, pinning the disheveled Imperial Academy student to the ground.
No one stepped forward to stop them.
The student with the sword pressed against his neck had a flushed face and unfocused eyes.
Wei Sheng: "..."
Her intuition told her that this student didn't seem to need anyone's help. And why did the boy's face seem so familiar to her?
The answer had barely formed in his mind when the boy in peach-colored robes flicked his wrist, the force transferring to the tip of his sword. With a resounding slap, the sword struck the student in the face, sending him tumbling backward, stunned but not seriously injured. The boy in peach-colored robes said with disgust, "What kind of look is that?"
His eyes were sticky, almost melting.
The boy in the peach-colored shirt wondered if he could kick the other guy twice and still have him clutching his foot and shouting that he'd kicked him perfectly. This inexplicable thought disgusted him, making him instinctively nauseous. He looked around, inwardly cursing, "I hit one and a bunch of others followed."
What Wei Sheng found strange was the attitude of the boy in the peach-colored robe.
The other side knew perfectly well that they were graduates of the Imperial Academy, and yet they came in droves, but the boy in peach-colored robes showed no fear whatsoever, displaying complete confidence. However, all of this could be put aside for now. Wei Sheng stepped forward, cupped his hands, and smoothed things over, suppressing the other eager students.
"Senior Wei—"
Wei Sheng sternly rebuked, "Senior? What senior? Don't you feel ashamed? Regardless of who was right or wrong, you disregarded the occasion and vandalized an innocent shop and teahouse. If this gets to the ears of the elders, every single one of you will be punished!"
Let's have a verbal battle; why resort to physical violence?
Even if you are right, you are no longer right.
The student who had been kicked away by the boy in peach-colored robes rolled to his feet, his face turning pale with fright upon hearing these words. He was terrified that Wei Sheng would report the matter to the accompanying officials, including Yan Siye, General Gongxi, or Prince Rugui. If they knew, the emperor would surely find out as well.
The boy in peach-colored clothes sheathed his sword.
Upon hearing this, they couldn't help but turn their gaze to Wei Sheng.
When he opened his mouth, his voice was melodious, clear, and melodious, unforgettable; however, his tone of voice was strange and unpleasant.
"Tsk, finally someone who looks decent has arrived."
Wei Sheng ignored him and took out a small gold ingot from the money pouch hanging on his arm and handed it to the shopkeeper: "These should be enough for the shopkeeper to repair the damaged items. If there is any surplus, please consider it as compensation to calm your nerves. My classmate is young and impetuous, so please forgive any shortcomings in his actions."
Seeing the gleaming little gold ingot, the shopkeeper pushed it back.
He said, "No need, no need, Qiao Lang has already given it to me."
"The Qiao Lang the shopkeeper mentioned is..." Wei Sheng's gaze shifted, and she saw the boy in peach-colored clothes and several of his companions looking at her with ambiguous smiles. Now, she knew the answer without the shopkeeper's reply, and still pushed the gold ingot back, "Even so, shopkeeper, please keep it."
Why would a shopkeeper refuse to accept two payments?
The anger over the vandalized teahouse was replaced by joy, and he grinned from ear to ear. He also spoke up for the boy in the peach-robed robe and his companions, explaining the whole story to Wei Sheng. It was a battle of wits, but the trigger was that the students from the Imperial Academy had mistaken the boy in the peach-robed robe for his gender and used offensive language. The boy's classmates wouldn't stand for that, and so the argument escalated step by step.
Wei Sheng: "..."
She looked sternly at the student who had been beaten.
The student covered his face and said, "I apologized."
The classmate next to the boy in the peach-colored shirt rolled his eyes, his face sour: "Hmph, you apologized, but after apologizing, you even said something about 'a gentleman's pursuit,' aren't you just asking for a beating?"
I've already said that Qiao Zi is a boy, not a girl.
The student said aggrievedly, "But I really like Qiao Junshengyan."
The boy in peach-colored robes, sword in hand, sneered, "You compliment my looks, which means you're not blind, but you only like faces, which shows you're shallow. Clearly, my inner qualities far surpass my outward appearance by ten or a hundred times. You can't even see that, so what right do you have to say you like me?"
Wei Sheng: "..."
She took a deep breath, turned around, and scolded several students.
Even if it's embarrassing, don't embarrass Ganzhou.
It's obvious they were lustful at first sight, attracted to her face. And they still talk about the power of debate? They're really good at self-aggrandizement. Luckily, she struck first. If these people had, one demerit wouldn't have been enough; they'd likely face expulsion.
"Stop standing there like logs, all of you go back!"
Some people felt guilty and others felt wronged. They had come to see what was going on, just like Wei Sheng, so why were they being scolded?
At that moment, Xingning's voice came over.
The crowd parted in response: "Oh, I'm late?"
The peach-robed youth, who had been standing with his sword clasped and arms crossed, straightened up. His eyes, seemingly uncontrollably fixed on the newcomer, were drawn to him. A strange impulse compelled him to step forward and say something. This person gave him an extremely familiar feeling; it was as if he had seen him somewhere before.
Wei Sheng: "Not too late, you've come at the perfect time."
Take these students back first.
They came here for study tours, not to embarrass themselves.
As soon as she turned around, the boy in peach-colored clothes rushed forward and grabbed Xingning's sleeve. Under the puzzled gazes of Wei Sheng and Xingning, the boy in peach-colored clothes swallowed nervously twice: "May I ask your name?"
Xingning was also taken aback when he saw the boy in the peach-colored clothes.
"Dean?"
The boy looked remarkably like the headmaster of the Phoenix Courtyard. Upon seeing his face, Xingning immediately recalled being caught late every day at the courtyard. This remark also reminded Wei Sheng of something he'd overlooked earlier: "Does Qiao Lang have a relative who's the headmaster of the Phoenix Courtyard?"
"A relative of the courtyard director?"
Or is he a relative of Huang Ting?
Of course not.
“My mother is the only one in my family.” He shook his head as he spoke. Other relatives were still alive, but they were all poor relatives who had tried to take advantage of the mother and son who had died out. Qiao Zi would feel uncomfortable whenever she mentioned them. “You two have such similar reactions?”
Xingning said, "It's about seven or eight tenths."
The difference of two or three points is still due to the age difference between the two. When the boy in peach clothes grows up, they may be cut from the same mold.
Qiao Zi frowned upon hearing this, clearly displeased.
Firstly, he believed his appearance was unparalleled in the world, and how could there be two unparalleled things? Secondly, according to the typical storytelling style his classmates liked to read, there must be a complicated past behind their "similar appearance," and perhaps the two even had some connection.
Qiao Zi casually asked, "How old is he?"
Xingning also did not know the exact age of the dean.
However, one can make a rough deduction based on the information one has.
The Dean once served under Duke An, and when he was seventeen or eighteen, he followed Duke An on a long journey to Longwu County. Since the King rose to power in Longwu County, the Dean should be past fifty, nearing sixty, shouldn't he? Upon hearing this, Qiao Zi guessed that the Dean might be his maternal grandfather…
He'll be able to verify it sooner or later.
Logically, after a falling out, the two sides should have gone their separate ways. But Qiaozi insisted on finding an excuse, saying there was a nearby restaurant with excellent pickled fish, and warmly invited them to try it. As for the previous unpleasantness? Well, they became friends after a fight, right?
Qiao Zi is good-looking and has a lively and talkative personality.
Before the sauerkraut fish was even served, everyone had already put aside their differences.
Wei Sheng: "..."
Why does she feel that Qiao Zi is particularly interested in Xingning?
A group of young people made new friends and naturally exchanged names and family backgrounds. Except for a few who were still struggling to develop their alchemy skills, the others had all achieved literary talent, which meant they had all been given courtesy names. Xingning then learned that Qiaozi was his nickname; his family name was Zheng and his given name was Qiao.
"Zheng Qiao?"
There were also people from the Northwest Mainland present.
Despite the passage of many years, the name Zheng Qiao can still be heard from time to time, and those who enjoy collecting local chronicles and anecdotes are quite familiar with it. However, considering that there are at least eight or ten thousand people in the world named Zheng Qiao, it's not surprising.
The young man in front of me is Zheng Qiao, whose courtesy name is Shengsong.
Xingning felt a strange sensation upon hearing this word.
"Shengsong? Was that a name given to you by your teacher?"
Qiao Zi shook her head: "The lecturer originally asked Dean Mei to name it for me. The dean thought of several, and I chose my favorite one... Strangely enough, when I first condensed the Wenxin monogram, the words on it were not the ones I wanted. But once the monogram is on, there's no way to change it, and it's not worth paying such a high price to change just one word. I thought, let's just use Shengsong then."
Anyway, it's not that bad.
It's just a pity for some classmates with strong accents. Sheng Song is easy to pronounce, but when it's combined with the surname, it's easy to bite your tongue.
Xingning said, "This character suits you."
Qiao Zi smiled and her eyes crinkled: "I think so too."
The more I listened, the happier I became.
The boys booked several private rooms to eat pickled fish. Just as Qiao Zi had described, the pickled fish at this restaurant was indeed delicious; the soup was clear, the fish meat was thick and boneless, and the flavor was rich. While they were enjoying their meal, news of what had happened here had already reached Lü Jue's ears.
He said to his adjutant, "I understand. As long as it doesn't cause any major trouble, there's no need to get involved. What young man isn't impetuous? Your Excellency has caught quite a few fish today, so you might as well keep them too."
The adjutant smiled, lifted his robe, and sat down.
"Then I am in for a treat today."
Qi Cang, wearing an apron, was sweating profusely in the east kitchen. Lü Jue pulled his lieutenant to help him clean the fish and slaughter the three sheep they had just bought that day. It was a rare treat that all the troublemakers from the academy had been sent down the mountain, allowing him to spend some quality time with his wife.
Lü Jue was transferred to Ganzhou in the thirteenth year of Yanhuang.
He had always known where Mei Meng was, but he hadn't taken the initiative to seek her out over the years. Firstly, she might not want to see him, and secondly, he had a lot of military affairs to attend to. He waited until the thirteenth year of the Yanhuang era. When Lü Jue set foot on this land, he felt a long-lost sense of trepidation upon returning home. He hesitated, unsure of what reason to give for a visit, wondering if his wife had forgotten him over the past ten years.
Before I could even come to a conclusion, the person I'd been longing for came knocking on my door.
However, she didn't come to rekindle their past romance.
Instead, they wanted to use him to secure an opportunity for the academy to upgrade, and incidentally hire more renowned teachers and attract more students, primarily girls from within Ganzhou. The three public academies select the best students, and the remaining students, whose abilities vary, can enter local private schools. Even then, there's fierce competition. Some parents are short-sighted, only concerned with immediate gains and not considering the long-term future, nor are they willing to invest the necessary effort.
Mei Meng wanted to secure more funding from Ganzhou so she could expand the academy and provide a path for these less gifted children. No matter how poor their talent, as long as they embarked on this path, their fate would be better in twenty or thirty years than it is now.
This is defying fate and changing one's destiny.
Qi Cang was powerful, but he was unwilling to be recruited by the Ganzhou government, maintaining only a lukewarm relationship with them. Mei Meng couldn't use him to achieve her expansion goals. Qi Cang rolled his eyes and urged Mei Meng to use the silver token Lu Jue had given her years ago. Lu Jue was, after all, one of Shen Tang's original followers; he had fought many battles and received numerous rewards, accumulating considerable wealth—enough to expand the academy.
Mei Meng hesitated.
Two days later, they received news that Lü Jue had been transferred to Ganzhou.
So she came over.
Looking at Lü Jue, she was filled with a myriad of thoughts.
The circumstances of their meeting were different from the scene she had dreamt of on her deathbed years ago, but the outcome was the same. The Lü Jue she saw was just like in her dream—weathered, mature, and possessing a certain chivalrous spirit. Lü Jue, however, never imagined that the scene he dared not even dream of would actually happen.
It was as if the decades of separation between the two had never existed.
Naturally, they got back together.
Lü Jue spent most of his time in the camp, only visiting Mei Meng on his days off or other free time. Over time, the officers and other officers in the camp learned that Lü Jue had a wife he had been separated from due to the war, and they all celebrated the couple's reunion. Life went on peacefully.
Apart from the occasional setbacks.
For example, he hadn't expected Zheng Qiao to be a student at Meimeng Academy. Since the Lord wasn't dealing with the situation, Lü Jue had no reason to resort to violence.
From what I observed, Zheng Qiao seemed quite normal.
How come he looked like a vengeful ghost or a madman in his past life?
[The person in this life and the previous life cannot be considered the same person.]
Lü Jue shook his head: "It must be thanks to Madam's excellent guidance."
Mei Meng didn't think she had that ability.
As the saying goes, "It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature." How can simple teaching reform a wicked person? There must be other reasons behind this. Mei Meng didn't pay much attention to Zheng Qiao on a daily basis, as if he were just an ordinary student, only keeping an eye on him secretly.
Previously, Qi Cang had come to beg her for help after he had gathered Wenxin's heart.
[Please think of a single word for him.]
Mei Meng: [It's not like he doesn't have teachers or mentors.]
Qi Cang's expression was strange: [After Zheng Qiao started cultivating, his literary aura became increasingly similar to his previous life. I'm worried that his literary signature will continue to use his courtesy name from his previous life. Aren't you afraid it will upset him?]
Wenxin's signature was an insult to Zheng Qiao in her previous life.
Just then, the lecturer from Zheng Qiao's class also came to see Mei Meng, so she agreed and carefully selected several, letting Zheng Qiao choose for himself. On the day Zheng Qiao officially broke through and condensed his literary heart monogram, Mei Meng couldn't guarantee that the monogram would display the courtesy name he had been given in this life.
result--
It turned out to be a rising pine.
It wasn't any of the names Mei Meng took.
Qi Cang was also puzzled, as was Lü Jue.
Why is it Shengsong instead of Nyogyo?
Lü Jue knew the price Censor Gu Chi had paid to change the words on Wenxin Huaya's name. It meant his literary talent was incomplete, his path as a scholar would never be fulfilled, and he had suffered from poor health for many years. Zheng Qiao, on the other hand, seemed perfectly normal.
When I contacted the royal court, I mentioned it to the Lord.
The Lord was not surprised at all: "Everything has a cause and effect."
Lü Jue was puzzled: "This humble general is ignorant; please enlighten me, Your Majesty."
Someone has paid the price for him.
When Shen Tang opened the Investiture of the Gods, she allowed a group of true spirits who had been trapped there for one or two hundred years to reincarnate and serve her. She ignored those she didn't know or those unfortunate souls she had killed. However, she had a brief chat with a few acquaintances and, out of consideration for their past relationship, gave them special treatment, such as the dreams that Zhai Huan and Yan An had before their reincarnations. In addition to the dream, Yan An also made a request.
He asked Shen Tang if the fact that their true spirits were locked by the Investiture of the Gods meant that they would retain some characteristics of their previous lives after reincarnation.
Shen Tang gave an affirmative answer.
After pondering for a moment, Yan An asked Zheng Qiao where she would be reincarnated.
[He's destined to be reborn as a dish on the dinner table. In his past life, he was innocent, and in this life, he will be preyed upon. It's fair and just; even he himself has to admit that this is what he deserves. Yan Jun has done everything he could; some things are better left unrequited.]
Yan An shook his head: "It's not something I'm forcing."
Just as Shen Jun said, he had done everything he could to save him and fulfilled all that a senior brother should do. However, he knew Zheng Qiao too well and hoped that his junior brother could have a chance to start over after being taken advantage of. Zheng Qiao's words were a turning point.
[If this isn't changed, it will remain a knot in her heart for both past and present lives.] Even with a normal, healthy body, Zheng Qiao might still go insane.
Shen Tang: [What are Yan Jun's plans?]
[My father gave him a courtesy name years ago; I wonder if it's still appropriate to use it.]
What price is Yan Jun prepared to pay?
Yan An, unaware of what else he possessed, replied: "You may take as you see fit."
Shen Tang looked at Yan An's spirit, raised her hand and took away the memories related to Zheng Qiao from the spirit, severing the karmic ties between the two as fellow disciples.
Yan An: [Is that all?]
What's the difference between this and demanding an organ and ending up having your appendix removed?
Shen Tang said, "I pity Tu Nan."
We can't just give Ning Yan a sickly person, can we?
Yan An bowed deeply, hands clasped in thanks: 【Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Shen.】
"The food's ready, come lend a hand! You lazybones who only bring your mouths—" Qi Cang's outburst snapped Lü Jue out of his thoughts, and he and his subordinates got up to help. Just then, Mei Meng finished preparing her lesson and was drawn in by the rich aroma. Qi Cang immediately started cursing, "You're even lazier! You never lift a finger. Am I your personal cook?"
Mei Meng sat down and took the chopsticks that Lü Jue handed her.
He said calmly, "I dare to cook, but do you dare to eat it?"
Qi Cang: "..."
Lü Jue laughed and said, "Everything my wife makes is a delicacy."
Qi Cang rolled his eyes: "Don't say such sour things. You're so young, it's one thing to be blind, but your tongue is rotten too."
Otherwise, how could they not even tell the difference between good and bad?
Everyone else had to work hard to earn food, but Mei Meng just sat there and waited to be eaten. She had helped before, but ended up ruining Qi Cang's hard-earned catch. You have to understand, that was a rare catch for a fisherman who rarely came back empty-handed; it was incredibly valuable!
Qi Cang grew angrier the more he thought about it.
He invited the people Lü Jue had brought to make mutton skewers.
"This is a secret technique that I learned from outside."
Why would someone be willing to teach such a secret? There's no need to ask.
Qi Cang summoned Lü Jue to serve him, while Mei Meng, leaning against the armchair, gazed at the setting sun and sighed softly. "Tsk, I thought the academy would be quite deserted without those noisy divine beasts, but now I see—"
It's lively too.
(ω)
There are still some more to add later (I've finished adding them).
(End of this chapter)
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