Chapter Seventy-Three: The Lecture

Yun Qiwu smiled without responding, walking familiarly to the table and picking up an osmanthus cake to taste.

“Not bad,” she commented.

Then, she extended her small hand. “Where’s the painting?”

Li Yunjie was momentarily taken aback. “So urgent?”

“I saw the Ministry of Justice had already raided Song Yongnian’s residence today.” Yun Qiwu sat down with ease. “So I came to ask.”

Li Yunjie sighed, rising to fetch half of a splendid landscape painting from beneath his pillow, handing it to Yun Qiwu.

“You may not know, miss, but I exhausted all my connections and spent my entire fortune just to get this painting out of the Song estate.” His grief was impossible to hide, his expression utterly sincere.

Yun Qiwu looked half convinced. “For a noble heir to end up like this is certainly a rare tale.”

Li Yunjie lamented, “Who would disagree?”

“My parents died early, I left my homeland, and as a foreign prince, what place could I have in the imperial family of Great Qian?”

A trace of sympathy flickered in Yun Qiwu’s eyes. “You have had it hard indeed.”

Li Yunjie gave a bitter smile and stayed silent.

“Yet, after all you’ve suffered, you still managed to bring down the Song family. That’s truly commendable courage,” Yun Qiwu said with a note of admiration.

Li Yunjie replied solemnly, “How could I stand idly by when injustice is before me?”

“Quite righteous,” Yun Qiwu remarked, then unfurled the painting.

“When I found it, it was already just half a scroll,” Li Yunjie explained.

Yun Qiwu showed no surprise, remaining silent, her gaze settling on a woman in green hidden in the corner of the painting.

Noticing her attention, Li Yunjie probed, “Miss Yun, you seem quite familiar with this painting?”

“What makes you say so?” she countered.

Li Yunjie pointed to the woman. “The moment you opened the painting, your eyes went straight to her.”

She was hardly noticeable in the artwork; Li Yunjie himself had nearly missed her the first time.

Yun Qiwu raised a finger, gently tracing the woman’s image. “She’s the one who asked me to find this painting.”

Intrigue sparked in Li Yunjie’s eyes. “May I ask, what is her relationship to Dean Gong?”

Yun Qiwu’s expression suddenly turned cold. “There is no relationship.”

“Then why did Dean Gong hide her in the painting?” Li Yunjie pressed. “It’s clearly a landscape.”

Moreover, the place depicted was remote and desolate—no one should appear there, let alone a lone woman. Who would visit such a barren spot, except perhaps lovers lost in passion…

“There’s no need to ask further,” Yun Qiwu said, rolling up the painting and cupping her hands in thanks. “Thank you for your help.”

With that, she turned and slipped out the window.

“This time, I owe you a favor,” her voice lingered in the room, though her figure had already vanished.

“There’s definitely something going on, and it’s no small matter,” Li Yunjie muttered, poking at Su Xiyan’s hamster-like cheeks.

“These are all for you. Just don’t tell your sister about this.”

Su Xiyan’s eyes lit up, nodding eagerly.

…

“I heard the academy’s dean has come to Jiangnan to lecture this year!”

“Really?”

“Come on, let’s go see!”

Li Yunjie was having breakfast when he heard the lively discussion downstairs.

“They’ve been preparing for more than half a month. Today’s finally the day,” Shi Yi added. “No wonder I saw so many more people entering the city this morning, and they were all students.”

Li Yunjie put down his bowl and chopsticks, turning to the Su sisters with a smile. “Want to go join the excitement?”

“What’s there to see?” Su Qingmeng scoffed. “Would you even understand?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Shi Yi came to his young master’s defense. “Have you forgotten that poem about starry dreams filling a boat?”

Su Qingmeng’s eyes darted away and her cheeks flushed red. She silently nibbled on her bun, refusing to speak.

After breakfast, they followed the crowd to a large square.

The scholars were indeed of a different ilk. Though the square was packed, order prevailed; not a voice was raised. Even the street vendors seemed imbued with scholarly air, their cries fading into silence.

Lectures by the academy were a tradition of Taihu Academy. Every spring and summer, the academy’s great scholars would come south to offer lectures—hoping to enlighten the people and maybe recruit a few promising disciples.

As for why Jiangnan was chosen, it was likely because, among the twelve counties of the Great Qian, only Jiangnan exuded such scholarly refinement.

The scholars at the Imperial College scoffed at the academy’s “thankless” efforts, perhaps out of an innate sense of superiority.

Soon, Gong Qingfeng descended from the sky, landing gracefully at the center of the round lectern.

The students all sat cross-legged, quietly discussing in hushed tones.

“That’s Dean Gong?”

“He truly has the presence of a sage—otherworldly and remarkable!”

“Dean Gong’s erudition is legendary. To hear him in person is a once-in-a-lifetime honor!”

…

Gong Qingfeng swept his gaze around, then began serenely, “The pursuit of knowledge is not a matter of days and nights, but of one’s character and heart.”

As his words fell, a righteous aura seemed to fill the air.

The students felt as if a fresh breeze washed over them, their spirits soaring.

At that moment, what Gong Qingfeng said hardly mattered. The instant he appeared, the lecture became a gathering of admirers.

He spoke eloquently for half an hour, and the applause lasted just as long.

Only when a dissenting voice rose from the back did the harmonious scene break.

“Gong Qingfeng is not fit to be a teacher or a role model!”

Everyone turned to look—it was Wu Jin!

“Why is he everywhere?” Li Yunjie cursed under his breath. “Like a leech, haunting us…”

“Outrageous!” A student stood up to confront Wu Jin, livid. “Who is this madman, to slander Dean Gong so?”

Wu Jin strode forward, speaking calmly, “I am Wu Jin, a student of the Imperial College.”

Seeing a member of the Imperial College, the crowd grew agitated.

“What are you doing here?”

“You’re not welcome! Leave at once!”

“A pack of arrogant, shameless braggarts—how dare you speak Dean Gong’s name so directly?”

Wu Jin remained unflustered, walking confidently toward Gong Qingfeng.

“Please, stay where you are,” Lin Mao said, quickly stepping forward with several academy students to block Wu Jin’s path.

“Oh?” Wu Jin sneered. “Is this your academy’s way of treating guests?”

“Let him come,” Gong Qingfeng interjected calmly as Lin Mao was about to protest.

Wu Jin smiled disdainfully, brushed past Lin Mao, and bowed to Gong Qingfeng. “Student pays his respects to Dean Gong.”

Gong Qingfeng returned the gesture with a gentle laugh. “As a student of the Imperial College, you have come all this way to our academy’s lecture. Surely it is not just to hurl a few insults at an old man like me?”

Wu Jin paused, then grinned. “As expected, the dean is perceptive.”

His gaze turned suddenly cold as he reached into his sleeve, pulling out a crumpled letter.

“Today, I am here to tear away the dean’s hypocritical mask…”