Whether Cheng Zi’an was unlearned and incompetent or not, he despised those who bullied the weak.
If you have the ability, go pick on someone stronger than you.
But that’s not right either. You can only bully the weak; when it comes to the strong, you flatter them instead.
For example, some were already indignantly echoing Xin Jinian.
“That’s right! The teacher said the classroom is a place for studying the classics of sages. Fang Yin, by shouting loudly, you are disrespecting the sages.”
“Just relying on the teacher’s favor to show off everywhere.”
With everyone chiming in, Xin Jinian, now with supporters, couldn’t help but feel even more smug. He gave Fang Yin a hard shove.
Fang Yin was frail and unsteady on his feet. Staggering backward, his back thudded against the lectern.
Whether from pain or something else, tears instantly welled up in Fang Yin’s eyes. He gritted his teeth, holding back, and wept silently.
“Hey, crying? What a loser! What’s a grown man crying for?”
Xin Jinian pointed at Fang Yin’s tattered clothes and laughed mockingly. “You should be ashamed! Aren’t you supposed to be good at studying? Have you even forgotten ‘the hat must be worn straight’?”
“‘The hat must be worn straight'” comes from the Disciples’ Rules. It was rare for Xin Jinian to remember even one line.
Xin Jinian’s followers joined in with scornful sneers. After all, they were just seven- or eight-year-old children—both innocent and cruel.
Fang Yin cried until his eyes were red. No matter how clever he was, he was still young and completely bewildered at that moment. He weakly protested over and over, “I didn’t, I didn’t…”
Xin Jinian’s arrogance swelled. Stomping forward, he waved his fist in Fang Yin’s face, looking down on him and angrily scolding, “You still dare to argue? Look at these clothes—tch, tch, tch—they barely cover you! The teacher should cane you!”
While loudly accusing him, he reached out to tug at Fang Yin’s already precarious clothing. The fabric tore with a ripping sound, and a sleeve fluttered to the ground during the struggle.
Fang Yin, half-bare, crouched down in fear and shame, trying to hide his poverty and despair.
“Wealth is no crime, but poverty is.”
Cheng Zi’an watched the bullying ahead with an expressionless face, suddenly recalling a classic line from a TV drama he had once seen.
In the Great Qi Dynasty, wealth meant power—the two complemented each other and rarely existed separately.
The Xin clan was a prominent family, and their upbringing of their descendants should have been decent. However, in such large families, there were always a few black sheep.
Where there are bratty children, there are bratty parents. Cheng Zi’an had never met Xin Jinian’s father, but judging by Xin Jinian’s behavior, he was either raised poorly at home or utterly spoiled.
Whichever it was, compared to a poor Mengtong with no family background or connections, the black sheep descendant was still more important.
Unless Fang Yin could rise to become the head of all officials.
But Fang Yin was still a hundred thousand miles away from that.
If the Xin clan intervened, Fang Yin, with no connections, money, or background, might not even make it out of Mingzhou Prefecture.
Even if Fang Yin himself were exceptionally capable, for the Fang family to become a great clan like the Xin clan, it wouldn’t happen in his generation. It would take at least three more generations to see any possibility.
Just as Cheng Zhen, no matter how talented, even if he could place first as Zhuangyuan, the Cheng family would still be a small, humble household.
Suddenly, Cheng Zi’an felt a pang of fear—the kind that comes from seeing one’s own kind suffer. He secretly prayed that Cheng Zhen must strive to pass the imperial exam and become a Jinshi, so that he himself wouldn’t end up like Fang Yin, bullied at every turn.
Xin Jinian’s fist had already grazed Fang Yin’s face. Cheng Zi’an glanced at the dazed Zhang Qi beside him, then made his book box clatter loudly, shouting exaggeratedly, “Woo-hoo! The exam’s over! The exam’s over!”
Zhang Qi, still not fully recovered, blinked and stared at Cheng Zi’an.
Other classmates looked over at the shout and saw Cheng Zi’an with one foot on a stool and the other on the desk, hands on hips, shouting to the sky, “Finally finished the exam! Holiday time, holiday time!”
Cheng Zi’an was as excited and wild as a shaman in a trance, though he knew it was rather silly.
From humble origins, this was not an era governed by the rule of law—when you couldn’t afford to provoke trouble, it was best to avoid it.
Cheng Zi’an wanted to stand up for justice, but he also had to act within his means.
Zhang Qi, the academic underachiever, soon grinned widely. Never mind the countless exams yet to come—getting through this one was cause for celebration.
He followed suit, even more exaggerated than Cheng Zi’an, jumping on the desk and howling like a wolf.
Compared to watching Xin Jinian bully Fang Yin, Cheng Zi’an and Zhang Qi’s commotion was far more entertaining.
One after another, others joined them, and the classroom roof nearly lifted off with the noise.
Xin Jinian, now without an audience, felt his triumph instantly diminish. He was both displeased and tempted to join in.
Fang Yin huddled there, tearful eyes watching the classroom’s revelry, momentarily bewildered.
The classroom grew too noisy, and soon Mr. Zhou and other teachers hurried over.
The room was in chaos. Mr. Zhou’s gaze paused briefly on Fang Yin before he scowled and shouted, “Silence! Silence!”
Everyone scrambled down like mice seeing a cat, hurriedly sitting back in their seats, heads bowed in feigned innocence.
Fang Yin, who had been sitting on the floor, struggled to his feet and returned to his seat.
Seeing Mr. Zhou and the others arrive, Cheng Zi’an felt half his worries ease.
The other half depended on how Mr. Zhou and the teachers would handle the situation.
Mr. Zhou whispered a few words to the other teachers, and they entered together, closing the door behind them.
Standing at the lectern, Mr. Zhou scanned the room with a stern face, then pointed at Fang Yin. “What happened to your clothes? How did this commotion start again?”
Cheng Zi’an watched Xin Jinian in the front row, shifting uncomfortably on his stool, showing only slight unease.
Fang Yin stood up, head drooping, trying to speak but trembling for a long while before mumbling something unclear.
Cheng Zi’an didn’t catch Fang Yin’s words, but he saw Mr. Zhou’s expression darken as he stared at Fang Yin for a moment before looking away.
The other teachers stood to the side, exchanging glances in silent understanding.
Cheng Zi’an let out a long sigh.
The teachers were well aware of the class dynamics, the students’ characters, and how they interacted—if not perfectly, then at least broadly.
Cheng Zi’an didn’t know about past incidents, but from what he observed, Mr. Zhou questioning Fang Yin first likely meant the matter would be brushed aside.
If Fang Yin dared to complain, or if justice were served after a complaint, Xin Jinian would have shown some restraint.
The classroom fell silent. Mr. Zhou’s feelings were complicated as he said stiffly, “Stay behind later and explain this to me in detail.”
Then his expression shifted, and he raised his voice to demand, “What was worth all that shouting? What were you doing causing such a ruckus in the classroom? Confess truthfully, now!”
No one dared to report Xin Jinian, but they were eager to point fingers at Cheng Zi’an.
“Sir, it was Cheng Zi’an who started it, jumping on the desk and shouting that the exam was over, it was a holiday, and we should have fun!”
“It was Cheng Zi’an!”
“And Zhang Qi—Zhang Qi was also making a lot of noise.”
Having caught the ringleaders, Mr. Zhou glared, pointing at Cheng Zi’an and Zhang Qi. “The rest of you, go home now. You two, come with me!”
Zhang Qi pouted, on the verge of tears, casting a resentful look at Cheng Zi’an, his eyes filled with blame.
Cheng Zi’an muttered, “Damn.”
Although he hadn’t intended to shirk responsibility, did they have to be so eager about it?
Would they still be able to play together properly in the future?
It was just because his family background was unremarkable and his grades were poor—easy to pick on, wasn’t he?
Cheng Zi’an, along with his fellow sufferer Zhang Qi and the dazed Fang Yin, followed several teachers toward the student dormitory.
As soon as they arrived at the dormitory, Cheng Zi’an stood at the entrance and saw Cheng Zhen approaching from afar. His heart immediately sank.
Cheng Zhen often visited the Fuxue to exchange ideas with scholars and seek guidance on his studies from Great Confucian Scholars.
Today, he had gone to the prefectural city for a literary gathering and said he wouldn’t return home until tomorrow.
Cheng Zhen stepped forward to bow and exchanged greetings with Mr. Zhou and the others. When he saw Fang Yin with half his shoulder exposed, he paused briefly in surprise.
The others hurriedly returned the courtesy. Faced with Cheng Zhen, who was as refined as a clear breeze and bright moon, both talented and handsome, Mr. Zhou’s attitude shifted completely from how he had treated Cheng Zi’an. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes crinkled into chrysanthemum-like folds as he warmly said, “Wuji, what brings you to the Mengtong Academy?”
Wuji was Cheng Zhen’s courtesy name. He glanced subtly at Cheng Zi’an, who was shrinking his neck nearby, and replied with a smile, “I heard the Mengtong Class had an exam today and came to ask about it. Mr. Zhou, has my son been mischievous and bullied someone?”
Cheng Zi’an wanted to cry.
In truth, he hadn’t charged forward with reckless bravery, thinking he had planned every step meticulously and left nothing to chance.
First, his performance on this exam was definitely an improvement over before.
Even if Mr. Zhou called him in, he wasn’t afraid. After all, it was understandable for a teacher to lose their composure when faced with a student who had finally shown progress.
Plus, with Cheng Zhen’s reputation, he’d likely only receive a few mild reprimands at most.
As long as he didn’t get beaten, everything was negotiable.
Today’s incident in class would surely be reported to Cheng Zhen by Mr. Zhou.
Cheng Zhen was a strict father and might fly into a rage and give him a beating first.
Tomorrow, when the exam results came out, Cheng Zhen would learn about his mischief. But if he brought his improved grades to claim credit, wailed pitifully, acted spoiled, and played cute, he could avoid the beating.
Perfect.
What wasn’t perfect was that nothing was going according to his plan.
If Cheng Zhen beat him first, once the beating was done, even good grades would be useless!
Mr. Zhou glanced at the tearful Cheng Zi’an, vaguely glossed over Fang Yin’s situation, and recounted how Cheng Zi’an had led the mischief earlier.
Seeing Cheng Zhen’s furrowed brow, Mr. Zhou quickly added, “Wuji, don’t be angry. I’ve already reviewed the exam papers, and Cheng Zi’an has made significant progress compared to before.”
The other teachers chimed in agreement. Mr. Lu, who taught arithmetic, stroked his beard and said contentedly, “Cheng Zi’an answered all the arithmetic questions correctly.”
Cheng Zhen bowed deeply to them and said gratefully, “It’s all thanks to the teachers’ excellent guidance. My son is mischievous and has caused you trouble.”
Mr. Zhou waved his hand with a smile, saying it was his duty, and selected Cheng Zi’an’s exam papers to hand to Cheng Zhen. “Since Wuji is here and it’s getting late, take him home.”
The other teachers also brought out Cheng Zi’an’s exam papers. Cheng Zhen quickly glanced through them, didn’t inquire further about Fang Yin and the others, bowed, and took his leave.
Cheng Zhen walked ahead with his hands clasped behind his back, clutching Cheng Zi’an’s exam papers.
Cheng Zi’an trailed slowly behind. Thinking of Fang Yin’s weak and helpless appearance when they left, his heart ached slightly, and he turned to look back at the teachers’ dormitory.
Hearing no movement behind him, Cheng Zhen turned around and said, “Hurry up and keep up.”
Cheng Zi’an turned back. In the twilight glow, Cheng Zhen’s silhouette stretched long and slender.
Cheng Zhen had seen his exam results and had been acting indifferent all along, showing no sign of relief. What exactly did he mean by this?
Was he going to hit him or not?