lcionline Chapter 597 By then, with the evidence caught red-handed, let's see what he has to say.
Chapter 597 By then, with the evidence caught red-handed, let's see what he has to say.
Master Li emerged from the shadows of the corridor, his expression unreadable.
He didn't look at Wang Hao and the others groaning on the ground; his gaze fell directly on Lin Jiayou.
"Lin Jiayou, come with me." Master Li's voice was not loud, but it carried an air of authority.
When Wang Hao and the others saw the Master appear, their wails immediately subsided, their eyes filled with resentment and guilt.
Lin Jiayou silently followed behind Master Li to a secluded study.
"Why are you fighting?" Master Li turned around, his eyes blazing.
Lin Jiayou lowered his eyes, the bloodstain at the corner of his mouth particularly glaring.
He did not defend himself, but calmly said, "If a student makes a mistake, he is willing to accept the punishment."
"What's wrong?"
"The mistake was in taking action in the private school, which broke the rules." Lin Jiayou's voice was completely flat.
Master Li looked at him. This boy, who was usually so quiet that he was almost invisible, was now like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath, his brilliance fully revealed.
He clearly saw that Wang Hao and his group started the fight, but the child didn't say a word in his defense.
“I saw it; it was Wang Hao and his group who provoked us first,” Master Li said in a deep voice.
Lin Jiayou remained silent, but straightened his back.
Master Li sighed, his tone softening slightly: "That slap you gave was quick and satisfying. But have you considered that once that slap is delivered, there's no turning back? Tolerance is not weakness, and one must act according to the right timing."
“I understand.” Lin Jiayou finally raised his head, his obsidian-like eyes showing no sign of backing down. “But some things, there is no turning back.”
Master Li was startled; he saw in the boy's eyes a tenacity and determination beyond his years.
He suddenly understood why the Duke of Zhenguo and His Highness the Crown Prince both treated this boy differently.
“You have won today, but Wang Hao is a distant nephew of the Vice Minister of War. Your future days will likely be even more difficult,” Master Li warned.
“The students are not afraid,” Lin Jiayou replied crisply.
Master Li remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "Wang Hao and the others provoked us without cause and bullied us with their numbers. They are to be punished by copying the Analects fifty times and confined to their quarters for ten days. I will personally write to the Ministry of War Vice Minister's office."
He paused, then looked at Lin Jiayou: "Although you acted in self-defense, you still used your hands. Your punishment is to clean the corridor and copy the line 'Do not be disrespectful, be solemn as if thinking' from the Book of Rites a hundred times."
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that this punishment is biased.
"Thank you, Master." Lin Jiayou bowed deeply without the slightest complaint.
When Lin Jiayou returned to the corridor with a broom, Wang Hao and the others had already been taken away by the school supervisor.
He silently swept away the dust and fallen leaves on the ground, his movements meticulous.
The wound on his arm was aggravated, causing sharp pains, but he seemed not to feel it.
He thought of Gu Qingchen.
If she were here, she would probably beat Wang Hao and his gang to a pulp.
Then, with her hands on her hips, she confidently dragged them to the Confucian scholar for judgment, making the matter known to everyone.
In the end, she always managed to get everyone to do nothing against her.
Thinking of her smug look, Lin Jiayou's tightly pressed lips unconsciously curled up slightly for a moment.
But she wasn't there.
He couldn't hide behind her forever.
The pain and wounds made him more aware; he had to stand up for himself and face everything in his own way.
As he swept the corner, he saw a small jade pendant on the ground with the character "浩" engraved on it. It was the very pendant that had fallen from Wang Hao's body during the chaos.
Lin Jiayou bent down to pick up the jade pendant, and a cool sensation came from his fingertips.
He stroked the smooth surface of the jade pendant, his eyes deep, and then silently tucked it into his sleeve.
After doing all this, he picked up the broom again and stood straight in the afternoon sun, his shadow stretched long.
That silent and reserved boy seemed to have completely changed after a brief fight.
As night deepened, Gu Qingchen's bedroom window was once again skillfully pushed open a crack.
Qian Zhenyun, like a round, chubby cat, crept in quietly, landing with a soft thud.
"Sister!" he said in a low voice, his face showing a hint of excitement and mystery.
Gu Qingchen was hunched over the table, deep in thought about "Women's Instructions," but as soon as she saw him arrive, she perked up and pulled him behind the screen.
"Gungung, what are you doing here again? Be careful my mother doesn't find out!"
"I...I have something very important to tell you!" Qian Zhenyun gasped for breath, his eyes shining brightly. "Guess what happened at the private school today?"
He recounted the details of the fight between Lin Jiayou and Wang Hao during the day, embellishing the story.
"What?" Gu Qingchen's almond-shaped eyes widened, and she suddenly stood up from the embroidered stool. "Gungun, are you telling the truth? That taciturn guy beat up Wang Hao and the others?"
“Really! I saw it with my own eyes! Wang Hao’s face was all swollen!” Qian Zhenyun nodded vigorously, looking proud.
"That's great!" Gu Qingchen clapped his hands excitedly and spun around the room twice. "I knew he wasn't a coward! All those lessons I taught him weren't for nothing!"
After the initial excitement wore off, Gu Qingchen stopped and calmed down, his handsome brows furrowing slightly.
"However, I know Wang Hao. He's petty and narrow-minded. After suffering such a great loss, he will definitely find a way to retaliate."
She sat down again, her fingers tapping unconsciously on the table. "No, I have to think of a way to help Jiayou. I'm locked up here and can't do anything. It's driving me crazy!"
Inside the Eastern Palace, candlelight blazed brightly.
The young prince sat upright at his desk, but what lay before him was not a book of sages, but a piece of intelligence from outside the palace.
When he saw the words "Lin Jiayou defeated Wang Hao and others single-handedly," a proud smile appeared on his small face.
But then, his smile vanished, replaced by a look of deep thought and worry.
"Someone come here," he called softly.
The most trusted eunuch immediately bowed and stepped forward: "What are your orders, Your Highness?"
The young prince took a piece of plain white paper, ground the ink himself, and wrote four characters: "Be careful in all things."
Although the handwriting is still immature, it already reveals a certain composure and integrity.
He then took out a box of top-grade wound medicine bestowed by the emperor from his private treasury and handed it to the eunuch along with a note.
"Find a way to secretly deliver this to Lin Jiayou of Bailu Private School. Remember, do not alert anyone."
"The slave obeys the order."
A few days later, Lin Jiayou was studying in the school dormitory when a stranger, under the pretense of bringing tea, quickly stuffed a cloth bag into his book box.
Lin Jiayou remained calm and waited until no one was around before opening it.
The imperial medicine and the familiar handwriting on the note warmed his heart.
The prince and the teacher's concern made him feel that he was not fighting alone.
But at the same time, he became more vigilant.
He noticed that Wang Hao and the others were looking at him with increasingly strange eyes.
It was no longer an overt provocation and anger, but a sinister chill hidden in the shadows, like a venomous snake lurking in the dark, ready to strike a fatal blow at any moment.
They seemed to be waiting for something, brewing an even bigger storm.
On the eve of the monthly exam, Wang Hao called several of his followers to the rockery in the backyard of the private school.
He pulled a piece of paper covered with tiny, densely written characters from his pocket, and in the moonlight, a sinister smile appeared on his face.
"Tomorrow, I will ruin Lin Jiayou's reputation!"
One of his henchmen chimed in, "Brother Hao, what are you planning to do?"
“I’ve already bribed Ah Si, the servant who’s in charge of cleaning the dorms,” Wang Hao said smugly, waving the note in his hand. “Before the exam starts tomorrow, he’ll slip this into Lin Jiayou’s pen holder while he’s organizing the writing materials.”
"I'll expose his cheating halfway through the exam!"
"By then, with the evidence caught red-handed, let's see what he has to say! He can forget about staying at White Deer Academy any longer!"
Upon hearing this, the henchmen all revealed gloating and sinister smiles.
On the day of the monthly exam, the morning light was just beginning to break.
As usual, Lin Jiayou walked to his seat, arranged his writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone, and waited patiently for the exam to begin.
Not far away, Wang Hao watched his retreating figure, a confident smile playing on his lips.