Feeling humiliated in public, Chen Zhancai gritted his teeth, filled with resentment. "You stop right there! Let me tell you, as long as I'm here, Chen Han can forget about studying at the Confucius Academy."
"You? You think you're worthy?" Chen Qingqing looked at him like he was an idiot.
Chen Zhancai stopped pretending, chuckled coldly twice, and lowered his voice, "Today I'll show you what happens when you offend me."
As he spoke, he approached Zhao Ping and said, "Brother Zhao, there's no need to register them. They simply don't have the ability to study here. Hurry up and move on to the next one."
Zhao Ping looked bewildered and whispered, "Brother Chen, I'm only responsible for registering and collecting money. I have no right to prevent students from entering the academy. You should know that these students have all been personally selected and tested by the Master. If the Master finds out that I am obstructing them, I will definitely be punished. Please don't make things difficult for me. Just let them register and pay money as soon as possible."
Lin Yuan looked at Chen Zhancai with utter contempt, despising him from the bottom of his heart. He saw Chen Zhancai as a hypocrite, but in reality, he was a shameless scoundrel.
“Brother Chen, Brother Zhao is absolutely right. We are merely acting on behalf of the Master and have no right to prevent students from dropping out of school.”
Chen Zhancai shook his head and smiled, "Brother Zhao, to be honest, their family is so poor that they can barely afford to eat."
I've finally managed to save up some money after much hard work, and I'm going to send my child to academy. I'm even hoping that donkey dung will give me a fever.
But studying is not something that can be accomplished overnight. If you want to stand out from the crowd, it may take several years or even decades. How much money will you have to spend in that process?
Isn't this just like marrying a wife while wearing a mourning cap? It's utter nonsense!
I didn't let you register them because I was thinking of their best interests. There are so many other things we could do with the money we saved, don't you think?
Chen Qingqing's face darkened, and her voice was icy, "Chen Zhancai, if you're sick, go see a doctor. Don't spout nonsense here."
Chen Zhanshan was convinced that he was well-liked. Having studied at the Confucius Academy for over twenty years, he was considered one of the elders there.
Those students who arrived later all treated him with utmost respect, and privately they all called him "Big Brother."
He couldn't do anything else, but preventing Chen Han from attending the academy was a piece of cake for him.
He raised his chin, revealing an arrogant smile, "Qing girl, don't bother. With me here today, Chen Han won't be able to enter the gates of the Confucius Academy."
Chen Han clenched his fists, his eyes filled with anger. "Tell me, why won't you let me study at the academy?"
Chen Qingqing smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "Chen Zhancai, you're feeling guilty. You're afraid that Chen Han will surpass you academically. After all, you've been taking exams for over twenty years, which is why you've tried so hard to stop him from studying."
Chen Zhancai shook his head dismissively, "What a joke, I'm the youngest scholar in Qingshui Town, why would I be afraid of a mere kid?"
Not letting Chen Han study at the academy is for your own good; there are so many good things you could do with the money saved.
To say something you won't like to hear, Chen Han's brain is like a wooden fish; he's not even half as smart as Ji Ye.
If you really have that much spare money, you might as well send Jiye to study at the academy!
As soon as Chen Zhancai made these selfish remarks, those around him cast contemptuous glances at him.
Zhao Ping spat on the ground, "Brother Chen, you always seemed so respectable, but I never expected you to be so narrow-minded. You even blocked your own nephew's way to school. What a disgrace!"
Lin Yuan also spoke up coldly, "That's right, you even call yourself a scholar who has studied, yet your behavior is nothing like that of a scholar. You're just a selfish and petty person."
The onlookers also began to criticize Chen Zhanshan.
"The purpose of reading is to understand principles and righteousness, but he used his knowledge to suppress his nephew, which is a disgrace to scholarship!"
"How shameless and malicious! He even slandered his nephew as inferior to his son. He is utterly immoral."
"Exactly! They have no humanity at all. Who knows what other despicable things they might do in the future!"
......
Upon hearing these words, Chen Zhancai's face flushed, but he still tried to remain calm, stubbornly saying, "What do you know? I'm doing this for their own good!"
Chen Qingqing was almost disgusted by his arrogance. "Chen Zhancai, do you think this academy is your family's property? Get out of my way."
She pushed him aside and led Chen Han to the registration desk.
Just then, the Master heard the commotion and came over to ask what had happened.
Chen Qingqing quickly explained the whole story.
Upon hearing this, the teacher's face darkened, and he rebuked Chen Zhancai, saying, "The academy is a sacred place for learning. How can you act recklessly? As long as you have the desire to learn, you cannot be turned away."
Chen Zhancai shrank back after being scolded by the teacher, but still stubbornly retorted, "Teacher, this family is dirt poor, they don't know where their next meal will come from, how can they afford to teach tuition? I'm just thinking about the academy."
"Still daring to argue? This is an insult to scholarship! Get out of here and go back to copy the Great Learning from the Four Books ten times. Send it to me for inspection tomorrow."
Chen Zhancai frowned upon hearing this. This old guy is really ruthless. He just asked him to copy it ten times. This is going to exhaust him!
But he dared not utter another word. If he really angered the teacher, it wouldn't be as simple as just copying the Great Learning ten times.
He gave the teacher a perfunctory bow, then turned and strode into the academy.
The old scholar then smiled at Chen Qingqing and said, "Young lady, I apologize for my rudeness earlier. You can now complete the enrollment procedures."
Chen Qingqing nodded slightly to thank the teacher, and then smiled politely at Lin Yuan, "This classmate, my younger brother Chen Han, registered here a few days ago. Please verify his information."
Lin Yuan, having learned the whole story, did not make things difficult for Chen Qingqing. "You're too kind, young lady. I'll verify it right away."
As she spoke, she flipped through the book in her hand, and after a while she looked up and smiled, "Chen Han's name is indeed there. After you pay your tuition and register, you will be considered enrolled."
Chen Qingqing quickly took out the prepared silver from her bosom and handed it to Lin Yuan with a smile, "Thank you so much, senior. My little brother is new here, and I hope you will take good care of him in the future."
“You’re too kind, young lady. We’re all classmates, so we certainly won’t associate with those who are corrupt.” Zhao Ping said, handing Chen Qingqing a wooden plaque with Chen Han’s name on it. “This is your admission certificate. You’ll need it to enter and exit the academy in the future.”
Chen Qingqing took the wooden plaque and pulled Chen Han to thank the teacher and Lin Yuan again.
The Master smiled and waved his hand, "Study hard and don't waste this precious time for learning."
Meanwhile, Chen Zhancai, who was secretly observing from a corner, was filled with resentment upon seeing Chen Han successfully enroll in school.
He secretly vowed to make Chen Han suffer terribly at the academy.
Chen Qingqing and Chen Han arrived at the school dormitory, tidied up the desks, and gave each other a few more instructions before leaving the academy...
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