Chapter 74: Gong Qingfeng's Account

As soon as those words were spoken, the scene spiraled out of control.

The scholars in the audience abandoned all decorum, erupting into furious shouts.

“Who the hell do you think you are, to speak that way about the Dean?!”

“You bastard, I’ll gut you myself!”

“Damn you, come down here if you’ve got the guts and face me one-on-one!”

At the edge of the crowd, Shi Yi frowned and muttered, “Young master, how can scholars speak so crudely?”

Li Yunjie forced an awkward smile. “Their idol has been insulted—it’s only natural such extreme emotions would erupt.”

Shi Yi nodded, as if learning something new. “I see. Next time someone dares insult you, I’ll curse them the same way!”

Li Yunjie laughed wryly. “That really won’t be necessary.”

More than this, Li Yunjie was curious about the contents of the letter in Wu Jin’s hand. Judging by his confident air, he clearly came prepared.

“What’s the matter?” Seeing Gong Qingfeng remain silent, Wu Jin’s lips curled in a slight smile. “Is the Dean afraid?”

Gong Qingfeng stared steadily at the letter in Wu Jin’s hand and replied calmly, “What is there to fear?”

Suddenly, Wu Jin raised his voice and shouted, “Dean Gong, do you remember the young woman from the Yun family to whom you once pledged your life?”

The crowd fell instantly silent.

After a long hush, whispers began to ripple through the assembly.

“Wasn’t the Dean said to have never married?”

“Yes, I heard he never took a wife or had children, which is why he adopted an orphan as his own.”

“Mere words prove nothing! Where’s the evidence?”

Wu Jin grinned, raising the letter high. “This letter was written by Dean Gong himself, addressed to the young lady of the Yun family.”

“In it, he promised to spend his life with her!”

“But later, the Dean left without a word, abandoning her in her lonely chamber!”

“Because of this, she wasted away in sorrow and died.”

“So tell us, Dean Gong—is this true?”

Wu Jin’s accusation rang out, deafening, leaving everyone present speechless. All eyes turned to Gong Qingfeng, awaiting his rebuttal.

But Gong Qingfeng lowered his gaze, his brows drawn, and nodded slightly.

“It is true.”

The man celebrated across the land as a paragon of virtue, Gong Qingfeng, had such a disgraceful past! The shock shattered the pedestal upon which everyone had placed him.

Sighs and murmurs broke out.

“Dean Gong, you deceived the affections of Lady Yun and let her love go to waste.”

“Is this the example you set for your students?”

“How can such an ungrateful man be worthy of teaching others?”

Wu Jin’s words struck like thunder, shattering the last defense in the hearts of those present.

Silence was all these scholars could offer Gong Qingfeng as a final gesture of respect.

A flicker of unspeakable pain flashed in Gong Qingfeng’s eyes, yet his expression remained serene. After decades of enduring the storms of life, the white-bearded old man no longer had the restless heart of his youth—instead, he exuded a quiet detachment from worldly affairs.

“In this life, who among us is without fault?”

Just then, Li Yunjie’s voice rang out from the back of the crowd.

“Though Dean Gong is a sage, he is still a man.”

“To be human is to err.”

Striding quickly to the platform, Li Yunjie called in a clear voice, “Moreover!”

“We do not know the whole truth—how can we pass judgment so lightly?”

Li Yunjie, deep down, trusted in Gong Qingfeng’s character. After all, one who could defy convention and propose that all should be taught equally—how evil could such a person be?

His words sparked a flicker of hope in the eyes of the assembly. Hundreds of pairs of eyes fixed once more on Gong Qingfeng, yearning for him to reveal the truth.

“Dean Gong,” Li Yunjie said gravely, “was there more to the story back then?”

Gong Qingfeng’s gaze never left the letter in Wu Jin’s hand. After a long silence, he spoke calmly:

“What Master Wu says is not false. I do owe Lady Yun a great debt.”

Gong Qingfeng’s eyes seemed to pierce through the crowd, his mind drifting back fifty years.

“In those days, I served as Inspector at the Imperial Academy.”

“By chance, I met Lady Yun, and we fell deeply in love at first sight.”

“The following spring, I intended to ask for her hand.”

“But her clan chief discovered our intentions and threatened my career if I did not break off all contact.”

“So you became a coward?” Wu Jin interjected, his voice thick with mockery. “So much for true love; in the end, fame and fortune win out.”

“Watch your tongue!” Lin Mao’s sword slid an inch from its scabbard, murderous intent flickering in his eyes.

Gong Qingfeng waved a hand to calm Lin Mao and sighed. “It is shameful to admit, but I did falter then. I knew my humble background could never match the great Yun family of the South Sea.”

Yet, a faint smile appeared on Gong Qingfeng’s face.

“But I was young and reckless—how could I resign myself to being torn apart?”

“So the idea of eloping was born.”

“The letter in Master Wu’s hand was written during that time.”

His eyes grew gentle, his tone light, as though this painful memory had long since been laid to rest in his heart.

“But happiness was short-lived. Lady Yun’s clan chief forced me, under threat to my own family’s lives, to write a final farewell.”

“After that, we never met again.”