Why didn't he leave her mouth behind when he snatched her away?!
Thus, when Lou Buqi entered the academy, his face was dark as thunder, glaring at everyone with displeasure.
He swept in like a gust of wind, not even pausing when he saw the woman rolling and wailing on the ground.
As if he hadn't noticed anyone there, he stepped right over the woman's head.
Long legs sure were an advantage—with his height of one meter eighty, clearing obstacles was a piece of cake!
He strode directly to the main seat, spun around, and sat down, his black gold-woven robe spreading out over the chair.
His posture was dashing, his movements graceful—only his tone was far from pleasant: "What's going on?!"
The wailing woman froze, her cries cut short as she stopped her antics.
Ju Yue had been trotting behind Lou Buqi, and by the time she spotted the woman, it was too late to stop. She was on the verge of losing control.
The sight nearly made Ju Yue scream out loud.
If she stepped squarely on the woman, she'd likely break her nose!
Fortunately, Ju Yue's dance training had given her excellent reflexes. In such a critical moment, she made the best possible choice.
She leaped into the air on the spot, soaring "whoosh" right over the woman's head.
She jumped right over!
The woman: "…"
Ju Yue had managed to avoid a tragic trampling incident.
But this body was still the original owner's, far less agile than her own.
So after landing, she couldn't steady herself and stumbled forward.
Right into Lou Buqi's embrace.
Lou Buqi, of course, opened his arms to welcome her, pulling her tightly against him.
Once he had her in his arms, he refused to let go. The dark clouds on his face vanished, replaced by a smile as radiant as spring blossoms.
The woman: "…"
So, you see, one should never lie flat on the ground—not only does it block the way, but you might also be forced to witness public displays of affection.
For a moment, she forgot why she had even come.
When she finally snapped back to reality, her face twisted with rage, as if she were about to ascend to heaven in fury.
This woman's husband's surname was Zhang. Her son, Zhang Jinfu, also studied at First Academy—he was the student the servant had mentioned, the one bullied by Lou Yi.
Zhang Jinfu wasn't much of a scholar, but he had a keen eye for opportunity and had long ago pledged his allegiance.
He served as a lackey for Master Bai's son, Bai Hennan.
Under Bai Hennan's protection, Zhang Jinfu had managed to get by smoothly at the academy.
Madam Zhang, swollen with pride, boasted everywhere that her son was a future top scholar and she a future titled noblewoman.
But today, she received a message from Bai Hennan saying Zhang Jinfu had been bullied at the academy by the Lou family's second young master.
Madam Zhang thought to herself, wasn't this a golden opportunity to make a fortune?
She immediately dropped what she was doing and rushed to the academy to make a scene, hoping to extort a hefty sum from the Lou family!
Little did she expect that as soon as she started her performance, people would step right over her head—not once, but twice!
Ahhh! She had never suffered such humiliation in her life!
Unbearable!
Absolutely unbearable!
She immediately opened her mouth and wailed.
Her earlier wails had been empty, devoid of real emotion.
But now, her cries were filled with genuine grief and indignation, so heart-wrenching that listeners would feel sorrow and onlookers would shed tears.
"Oh, heavens above, open your eyes and see! The powerful and privileged are trampling on us poor common folk like this!"
"The young bully my son, the old bully me, an old woman! We have no way to survive!"
"If you don't give this old woman justice today, I'll take my whole family and hang ourselves at the gates of the prince's mansion!"
"What's so great about being a prince? They're still sucking the blood of us poor folks!"
"I'm going to hang myself! Even as a ghost, I won't let go of these bloodsuckers!"
"Heavens above!"
"Mother! Stop saying that! We're poor, so we deserve to be bullied! We have to accept our fate!"
Zhang Jinfu held up his right hand, his arm visibly swollen high, with abrasions and dark purple bruises.
This was the injury he sustained during his altercation with Lou Yi just moments ago.
It was evidence of Lou Yi bullying him!
Irrefutable and undeniable!
The mother and son cried about their poverty and misery, stirring up the emotions of the surrounding students, who all rallied to support Zhang Jinfu.
Bai Hennan was the most vocal among them:
"This matter must be properly resolved today! Otherwise, if Zhang is bullied today, it could be you or me tomorrow!"
"This can't just be swept under the rug! Lou Yi must apologize and compensate the Zhang family for their losses!"
"Bullying outside is one thing, but this is an academy! We can't let students with corrupt morals run wild here! Expulsion! He must be expelled!"
Outside the academy principal's office, students crowded around the door and windows, watching the commotion and loudly proclaiming their sense of justice.
The crowd was so dense that not even a drop of water could pass through. The teachers tried their best to shoo the students away, but they were too cunning—as soon as one group left, another would take its place, making it impossible to clear them all.
It wasn't the students' fault; even the teachers were eager to see how this bullying incident would ultimately be resolved.
If what the Zhang family said was true—that the second son of Prince Su's Manor was bullying a child from a poor family in school—the nature of the incident would be extremely serious.
If mishandled, Prince Su's Manor would lose all its reputation.
The students of the academy were the future pillars of the nation, and those currently enrolled were at an age where they were fearless and still held onto their initial sense of justice and passion.
They weren't afraid of powerful authorities; the more they were suppressed, the more they would stir up trouble.
No matter the dynasty, matters involving students had to be handled with great caution.
No matter how powerful Prince Su's Manor was, it still feared public outrage.
That was why Zhang Jinfu's mother dared to cause a scene at the academy.
Now, hearing the students' discussions and knowing public opinion was on their side, the mother and son performed even more vigorously.
The teacher with a face as charming as a bicycle seat, Master Bai, was also jumping around excitedly.
"No matter what status one holds outside, once they enter the academy and pay respects to Confucius, everyone is equal as students. Our academy absolutely does not tolerate the bullying of the weak!"
His words drew cheers and applause from the students.
"That's right! If this isn't handled properly today, we'll go outside and protest!"
"Exactly! Didn't the Shizifei here yesterday also plan to strike the Dengwen Drum? We'll do the same today! Are we, as honorable men, any less than a mere woman?!"
"Prince Su's Manor must give Zhang an explanation today!"
The principal of First Academy was a plump old man in his fifties, with a severely receding hairline and a shiny forehead.
On one side was the powerful Prince Su's Manor, and on the other was an unyielding, shrewish woman from the streets.
Add to that the students who kept stirring the pot and fanning the flames.
As the situation grew increasingly uncontrollable, Principal Shen was so anxious that his forehead was covered in oil and sweat.
Seeing Lou Buqi's gloomy face only made him feel even more at a loss.