Chapter 1754 – The Chives Are Graduating!
#Every day I’m sealed by a spell called “the cozy bed”#
#What’s it to die naturally? In winter, feeling hot to death is the happiest way to go!#
“You’re up so early, now I have to make a heroic sacrifice for you,” Sun Lan yawned, struggling to pry open her eyes. Unable to resist, she complained to her friend, “I ran into an acquaintance yesterday who quietly asked if I was a frequent visitor to the women’s quarters and advised me to take it easy. No matter how young I am, I shouldn’t exhaust myself like this…”
Look at how pitiful he is; he’s still just a young rooster!
Even after two years in the military camp, having learned many crude sayings and seen plenty of shameless acts, at heart he remains quite restrained.
Feng Yi chuckled, “Just ignore them.”
Whether to ignore those comparing the two or ignore acquaintances who mistook Sun Lan’s reputation was up to the listeners to interpret. Having known each other for several years, Sun Lan understood and muttered, “People’s gossip is terrifying; how can I be so carefree?”
Others can say whatever they like; it’s not up to him to dictate what they say about Sun Lan. He can only do his best to handle his own affairs.
Glancing at the dark sky outside, Sun Lan rubbed her hungry stomach and pulled out a baozi wrapped in a napkin from her sleeve.
As soon as she opened it, a puff of steam and aroma wafted out.
She then unfastened a thermos filled with rich meat broth from her waist.
This thing was created by their lord, consisting of four layers. The innermost was a porcelain inner container, followed by a copper inner layer, another porcelain layer, and finally a bamboo outer layer to prevent breakage. The inner layer could be sealed tightly to prevent spillage, and there was a bamboo lid for the outer layer.
It was quite convenient with its warmth-retaining function.
“Aren’t you having breakfast since you’re up so early?”
Feng Yi flipped a page and said, “Not yet.”
Sun Lan offered, “I have some extra; do you want to eat a bit?”
Feng Yi smiled, “It’s not good to overeat breakfast. Changsheng said she’d bring me some.”
Sun Lan took a big bite of the baozi, her cheeks stuffed, already feeling a bit full before she had even swallowed.
Forced to eat dog food? Of course, her stomach would be stuffed!
“Feng Li, I heard some gossip; do you want to hear it?”
Feng Yi wasn’t eating, so Sun Lan downed a few meat buns and a whole pot of meat broth. The warm baozi and broth filled her up and made her feel a comfortable warmth radiate from within, quite delightful.
“What’s the news?”
Sun Lan wasn’t the type to gossip; the gossip she mentioned was surely something serious.
“I heard there are big changes at the Golden Scales Academy.” Sun Lan said, “But I don’t know the specifics yet.”
Feng Yi frowned slightly.
Big changes concerning the Golden Scales Academy!
How come he hadn’t gotten any wind of it?
His father hadn’t mentioned anything; where did Sun Lan get this news from?
Sun Lan continued, “A few days ago, I brought assignments from my classmates to the teachers, and Mr. Yuanjing happened to be there. He told the teachers to tighten up the assessments for students recently and focus more on practical matters, stating that there would be big events at the academy next year.”
When he went, Mr. Yuanjing and the others had wrapped up their discussion; he only caught the tail end of it.
No matter the changes, as a student of the Golden Scales Academy, this news was relevant to them. They had to keep an eye on it.
“My grandfather isn’t in Wanzhou, and I don’t have any close elders to ask about it…”
Feng Yi understood and nodded, “After school today, I’ll try to find out what my father thinks.”
His father, Feng Zhen, was one of the lord’s key ministers. If there really were big changes at the Golden Scales Academy, he couldn’t possibly be ignorant.
The two chatted for a while, and gradually, the sky outside brightened as students began to arrive at the classroom.
They greeted each other in small groups, took out their books, and settled into their seats for the morning reading.
The schedule at the Golden Scales Academy was strict; regardless of the season, classes started promptly at 3 minutes past the hour in the morning and ended at 3 minutes past noon, with a break of about an hour and a half for lunch. Afternoon classes began at a quarter past the hour and ended at a quarter past the next hour.
Through cold winters and hot summers, there had never been an exception.
The teachers arrived a bit later than the students but wouldn’t be too late.
However, today was strange; morning reading was almost over, yet the teacher on duty still hadn’t arrived.
Gradually, some students couldn’t sit still, wondering why the teacher was late, unable to concentrate on their books.
“Could it be that Teacher Nie is sick?”
The teacher in charge of them was Mr. Yuanjing’s son-in-law, Nie Xun, who was once a strategist for Duke Huang Song.
After Huang Song was defeated, Nie Xun surrendered but chose to pursue education instead, helping his father-in-law, Mr. Yuanjing, for years. Over this time, the handsome Nie Xun had evidently become the most popular teacher at the Golden Scales Academy.
Besides Nie Xun, there was another highly popular teacher named Cheng Jing, who was also rumored to be a disciple of Mr. Yuanjing.
However, compared to Nie Xun’s outstanding looks and approachable demeanor, Cheng Jing was exceptionally strict and unapproachable; generally, no one dared to cross him. Any student who fell into Cheng Jing’s hands after making a mistake was unlikely to escape unscathed.
Thus, higher-grade students were more concerned about Nie Xun.
If it was Cheng Jing on duty today, the students wouldn’t just be worried—they’d be secretly relieved!
“No way, I saw the teacher returning from the women’s class yesterday, and he looked quite energetic.”
“Getting sick isn’t something that builds up—it might just be a case of not sleeping well last night.”
As morning reading drew to a close, the students began to whisper a bit of gossip.
Just then, a student sitting by the window caught sight of a familiar figure and immediately gestured for the talking students to hush.
By the time Nie Xun arrived, the gossiping students had straightened up, holding their copied books, reciting them aloud.
No one dared to ask why Nie Xun was late; he preemptively explained.
He hadn’t been late; he had just gone to notify the women’s class about some matters. Now it was his turn to teach Class A.
As Nie Xun spoke, everyone instinctively stopped reading. More than fifty pairs of eyes were fixed on him. Though Nie Xun’s voice wasn’t loud, every student in the classroom could hear him clearly. To ensure everyone could hear the lectures, the students were arranged in a circular seating layout, with three rings total and the teacher speaking from a central podium; only special classes would alter this arrangement.
“Now, the following words pertain to your future, and you must listen carefully.” When Nie Xun said this, many students’ expressions changed, anxiety bubbling up inside them, but Nie Xun didn’t allow them even a moment to process it. He continued straightforwardly, “After careful discussion between Duke Lan Ting and several esteemed scholars at the academy, it has been unanimously determined that the academy can no longer teach you more…”
What?
Nie Xun’s words were like a bomb, leaving everyone dumbfounded.
