Chongming Hall consisted of a main hall and left and right side halls, with a palace courtyard tucked behind them. The eaves there were not as high as those of the front hall, so it wasn’t officially considered a “hall”; it was usually used as a place for the young lords to have their midday rest and meals.
The main hall was the place for studying, and rules were strictly established: no dining, no resting, and no rowdiness.
When Xu Duofu entered the main hall, he said he had arrived early, but in fact, seventy to eighty percent of his classmates were already there. There were about thirty or forty of them, quite a large number. Initially, only officials of the fourth rank and above could send a child. Some officials who didn’t have age-appropriate children had missed out on the quota, sighing with regret and resentment.
Back then, although the officials were fearful due to various conspiracy theories, having a child enter the palace to study was undoubtedly a heaven-sent honor. There had been similar practices in previous dynasties, but those were always to serve as study companions for princes. The candidates were chosen from the maternal relatives of the various princes; there was never a turn for the children of ordinary ministers.
Thus, after the decree was issued, not only the sons of fourth-rank officials but even royal relatives who wanted to curry favor with the new Emperor took the initiative to submit memorials seeking grace, hoping to send their own children in to study.
After the Ningwu Emperor granted permission, some royal relatives even entered the palace personally, weeping with gratitude to thank him for his imperial grace.
They were all shrewd characters.
Two years had passed, and the Palace School operated on a large-class education system.
The main hall could accommodate two to three hundred people, so it felt quite spacious with only forty or so students. There was still some time before class started, and the students were either standing or sitting in clusters, chatting and whispering.
When they first entered the palace to study, everyone had been trembling with fear and solemnity. The elders, heads of households, and grandparents had all given stern instructions to be cautious in word and deed, for palace rules were strict, and so on and so forth.
Two years later, everyone had long since grown accustomed to life at the Palace School. Their courage had grown, and they had relaxed considerably. After all, the oldest person present was only twelve; they were just a group of children, and this was their nature.
His Majesty had never visited, and although the Grand Tutor was strict, everything was fine as long as the schoolwork was finished.
Besides, the Grand Tutor hadn’t even arrived yet.
What was there to fear?
When the Grand Tutor arrived, the eunuchs and attendants outside would announce his presence.
Xu Duofu’s seat was in the front row. This was his first time at an ancient school, and he found it quite novel. However, after sitting in the classroom for a while, he realized it was no different from a modern elementary school. Everyone was gathered in small cliques chatting, but there was no one near him—a vacuum of two or three meters surrounded him.
The small groups were generally of three types: royal clan children, those of Civil Officials, and those of military officers.
Xu Duofu: Wait, I actually know this?
Strange.
There was another rule at the Palace School: one could not bring personal valets or servants inside, except for eunuchs. Therefore, the children of the royal clan each had a serving eunuch, but they were only allowed one, and they couldn’t enter the main hall; they had to wait outside. As for the sons of ordinary officials, they were dropped off at the palace gates by their family servants, who waited at the Youyemen.
There was only one exception: Xu Duofu.
He belonged to neither the Civil Official group nor the military group, and he certainly wasn’t a member of the royal clan. The royal clan group somewhat despised Xu Duofu. Although they were distantly related to the current Emperor, they were still considered “leftover” relatives if one flipped through the genealogy; their bloodlines were still considered noble.
To put it bluntly, Xu Duofu was the son of a eunuch.
Eunuchs were servants who attended to the royal family. No matter how much power Nine Thousand Years Xu Xiaoman wielded, wasn’t he still a eunuch? Xu Duofu was Xu Xiaoman’s adopted son, and the blood in his veins was “lowly.” The children of the royal clan looked down on him from the bottom of their hearts, but out of fear of Xu Xiaoman’s power, they gave him the cold treatment, simply ignoring him.
Before he had even been sitting for fifteen minutes, Xu Duofu understood his situation in the class.
Poor kid.
I pity myself.
He had been an invisible person in the class for two years. The cold treatment from the royal clan was one thing, but some sons of Civil Officials—influenced by the atmosphere at home where their elders cursed Xu Xiaoman as a treacherous villain—would occasionally target Xu Duofu with sarcastic remarks.
They hadn’t dared before, partly because they were young and didn’t understand court affairs when they first entered the palace. Over the past two years, as they learned to read and grew bolder, attacking the adopted son of a villain to be hailed as the leader of a small clique by their classmates had indeed become a way to gain status and prestige.
Scholars had integrity, and satirizing the son of a eunuch was seen as being upright and would be praised. Only those who were cowardly and shrank back, not daring to ridicule Xu Duofu, were the ones to be mocked.
At this moment, the four main cliques of Civil Official children were all talking about Xu Duofu.
“He didn’t tattle. That’s good, that’s good. I’ve been a bit scared these past few days, afraid of bringing trouble to my family,” a timid boy said with a sigh of relief.
“Me too. I was just afraid the Eastern Depot would come to my house to arrest someone.”
“I heard that His Majesty summoned Xu Duofu for a meal yesterday. I haven’t even seen His Majesty yet.”
“What makes Xu Duofu so special?” someone asked sourly.
“Exactly. An adopted son of a eunuch, with such a background, he should be like those serving eunuchs from the Internal Affairs Office, standing outside the hall.” And yet he can dine with the Emperor. Jealousy was rampant.
Du Chong had also been scared these past few days, but he certainly couldn’t say so now, or he would be looked down upon by Tian Wenhe.
“What is there to fear?” Tian Wenhe spoke up upon hearing this. He looked down on those two from out of town; they were truly spineless. With a contemptuous look and a snort, he said, “Even if he tattles, I’m not afraid. For now, consider him to have some self-awareness. From now on, he’d better live with his tail between his legs.” He deliberately raised his voice.
The others were a bit afraid Xu Duofu would hear and instinctively looked toward the front row. They found that Xu Duofu’s back hadn’t moved; he was still sitting there, not even daring to turn his head. He had definitely heard them.
This Xu Duofu really was a coward.
So, the others all agreed and flattered Tian Wenhe, making him their leader.
The Tian clan was a prominent family in Shengdu. Their ancestors had been officials for generations, and they had even produced a Grand Secretary, though that was during the previous dynasty.
Someone wanted to show off. A child pretending to be an adult wanted to say something different, like discussing court politics. He said to Tian Wenhe, “Wenhe, do you know that the Eastern Depot arrested another good official?”
“Ming Yi, from the Ministry of Revenue,” Tian Wenhe said, looking at the other boy with a disdainful gaze that suggested, You’re trying to show off with such a small bit of gossip? He tilted his chin up and said arrogantly, “That’s news from yesterday.”
“Tian Wenhe, you know so much.” “So his name is Ming Yi.” “From the Ministry of Revenue? Then isn’t he your father’s subordinate?” “Xu Duofu’s father arrested your father’s subordinate?” “The Eastern Depot is far too arrogant.”
It wasn’t clear whose words sparked Tian Wenhe’s anger, but he became furious. His voice rose even higher as he looked at the back in the first row and said, “Running dogs of the Eastern Depot, persecuting the loyal and good. Xu Duofu, you’ve been literate for two years. Tell us, who is right and who is wrong? Who is a loyal minister, and who is the treacherous villain that everyone has the right to kill?”
Xu Duofu’s small, bean-paste-bun-sized fists clenched until his knuckles cracked under the desk.
Xu Duofu turned his head to look at Tian Wenhe, who was questioning him from not far away.
For a moment, the Chongming Hall, which had been filled with whispering, suddenly fell silent.
The royal clan children watched the spectacle, while the military group still hadn’t figured out why another “debate” had started.
Xu Duofu stood up and took a few steps. A flash of surprise crossed Tian Wenhe’s eyes—how was Xu Duofu different? But in the next second, Xu Duofu smiled. Seeing this, Tian Wenhe immediately felt disdain and even gave a contemptuous snort. Xu Duofu wouldn’t dare challenge him. Even in a debate, Xu Duofu alone couldn’t out-argue the few of them.
“Who are you? Which office do you work in? What is your rank?” Xu Duofu asked.
Tian Wenhe said scornfully, “What rank? We’re all still studying in the hall. Xu Duofu, have you gone completely stupid?”
“You hold no official post, nor are you His Majesty. The Eastern Depot arrests people—how do you know whether Ming Yi is good or bad, loyal or treacherous?”
“You!”
Xu Duofu interrupted, “My father arrests people; it’s not your turn to judge the case here.” He looked up at Tian Wenhe—dammit, I’m a bit short—and then raised a miniature bean-paste-bun fist. “Tian Wenhe, can you judge this clearly? Do you know what this is?”
“Your hand—”
“Wrong.” Xu Duofu’s fist, the size of a bean paste bun, landed squarely on Tian Wenhe’s head.
Everyone was stunned. No one had ever imagined that Xu Duofu would actually strike Tian Wenhe in Chongming Hall. The onlookers from the royal clan and the military group: ??? Huh??
What happened?
Xu Duofu hit Tian Wenhe?
Ah!
When Tian Wenhe reacted, he was already exploding with rage. He was a son of the Tian clan, the Shengdu Tians. Since he was a child, no one except his father had dared to lay a finger on him. Now, he had been hit by a stinking eunuch’s adopted son.
It didn’t hurt much, but it was a supreme humiliation.
Tian Wenhe lunged, Xu Duofu lunged back, and the eunuchs waiting outside the hall rushed in.
Chongming Hall instantly descended into a chaotic mess. Rowdiness was forbidden in the hall—that referred to chasing each other and playing around. In two years, no one had ever broken that rule. Now, it was a full-blown brawl.
Even though the Grand Tutor had arrived, no one cared.
Outside Xuanzheng Hall.
A little eunuch was so scared that he ran the whole way. He was softly scolded by the attendants serving at Xuanzheng Hall, who told him to mind where he was—how could he be so reckless as to run?
“This servant was clumsy, but something terrible has happened. In Chongming Hall, the Young Master hit Young Master Tian.”
Zhao Erxi, standing at the entrance of the hall, raised his voice: “What!” He stepped forward quickly. “Is the Young Master injured?”
“I don’t know.” The little eunuch swallowed. He had run to deliver the news as soon as he saw the chaos.
Zhao Erxi grew anxious. “Xiao Luzi, go fetch the imperial physician. I will report to His Majesty.”
The Ningwu Emperor was discussing state affairs with his ministers in Xuanzheng Hall. He usually saw no one, nor did he require attendants. Usually, Zhao Erxi would just stand at the door and daze off. Now, he rushed directly into Xuanzheng Hall.
When Zhong Cheng saw Zhao Erxi enter, he stopped the discussion. He knew Zhao Erxi was prudent and wouldn’t enter unless it was an urgent matter.
The officials in the hall waited quietly.
“Your Majesty, news from Chongming Hall. Young Master Tian and Young Master Xu have gotten into a fight.”
Delivering a message was also an art.
The waiting officials were all stunned upon hearing the news. This Young Master Tian—the son of the Minister of Revenue? Why would he hit Xu Duofu today? Was it because Minister Tian was angry about Ming Yi’s arrest yesterday and had instructed him? But he shouldn’t have done it now.
A few people quietly looked up toward His Majesty and thought they saw him… smile?
“Send an imperial physician to take a look,” Zhong Cheng said. Then he added, “Zhao Erxi, you go as well.”
“Understood, this servant knows.” Zhao Erxi backed out of Xuanzheng Hall and rushed toward Chongming Hall as fast as a whipped horse. That damn kid surnamed Tian, how dare he lay a hand on Xiao Duofu.
Xu Duofu hadn’t originally known Tian Wenhe; he wasn’t familiar with any of his classmates. But hearing Tian Wenhe talk with those students, he remembered a key plot point. He knew Tian Wenhe’s corrupt father.
When he had read the novel, he had been nearly enraged to death.
That corrupt official engaged in forming cliques for private gain. He was a thoroughgoing embezzler with a long reach, even daring to buy and sell official positions. In every wealthy province and prefecture, he had planted his own people. He was as greedy as could be, even skimming a layer off disaster relief funds.
In the book, the author had used a “frustration before satisfaction” approach. It seemed the Eastern Depot had arrested someone, and the corrupt official had distorted the facts in court, claiming the Eastern Depot was making arbitrary arrests and persecuting loyal officials. He used public opinion to force the Ningwu Emperor to let the matter slide with a light warning. Xu Duofu had been angry for two chapters, but then it got satisfying: his father listed the corrupt official’s crimes one by one, with ironclad evidence. It was truly heartening.
Hearing Tian Wenhe’s nonsense, Xu Duofu remembered everything.
If he didn’t provide some “iron fist education” now, Tian Wenhe wouldn’t be his classmate for much longer anyway.
Your dad is corrupt, so I’m hitting you. You deserve it!
The author has something to say:
After school today, Xu Duofu practiced smiling in front of the mirror.
Zhu Yue asked in confusion.
Xu Duofu reviewed the day: “I gave a cold smile today, but Tian Wenhe wasn’t intimidated by my icy aura at all. Instead, he relaxed even more!”
In the mirror, the fair-skinned little bean-paste-bun face smiled, looking soft, sweet, and harmless.
Zhu Yue: … [How should I put this.]