Jiapingguan Chronicle

“My master’s cold face is really scary.” Jin Miaomiao couldn’t help but shudder when she thought of her master’s face when he punished her. “Thinking about it now, it’s still a little scary.”

"Right? You feel like you're being swallowed up by his eyes, right?"

“Uncle-Master is right.” Jin Miaomiao nodded, smiled shyly, and said, “When I was little, I didn’t dare to make him angry. When he got angry, I felt like my life was in danger. I thought Master had such authority after he got older, but I didn’t expect him to be like this when he was young.”

“To be precise, back when we were kids,” the Third Grandfather chuckled, “my senior brother wasn’t someone to be trifled with, although…”

"Looks like a charlatan." Chu Han silently added, "Your master is a charlatan, and your senior brother looks like one too, so they're quite alike."

Third Grandfather didn't speak, he just smiled faintly.

"And then?" Jin Miaomiao looked at Third Grandfather, resting her chin on her hand, and said, "Those two don't seem like they'd give up so easily. They'll definitely come back to bother us, won't they? The next day?"

“They didn’t have the patience. They didn’t even wait until the next day. They found the inn where we were staying that very night.” Third Master sneered and said, “We were eating in the lobby of the inn when we saw the waiter leading them in. They ignored the waiter and the innkeeper who came to greet them, and went straight to us.”

"How did they find you?" Jin Miaomiao frowned. "Did they send people to follow you?"

“Academies run by two poor scholars, teaching students from poor families, are very popular in any prefecture and can provide certain conveniences.” Shen Cha sighed. “They only need to say that the former child prodigy has returned, and someone will immediately give them the address. After all, the child prodigy will only stay for a short time, but these two need to stay here year-round.”

“I understand. The more scholars there are, the greater the chance of them succeeding in the imperial examinations, and the more it represents their political achievements, right?” Jin Miaomiao rolled her eyes and said, “It’s not their fault. Every prefecture is the same.”

“My master thought so too.” Third Grandfather nodded. “So, he wasn’t surprised by their appearance and calmly watched the two of them sit down across the table.”

"One question!" Qi Zhifeng raised his hand, "What are the names of these two people?"

"The first one who sounded sarcastic was named Wang Qin, courtesy name Zisheng. The second one who looked very composed was named Dong Qian, courtesy name Ziping. I don't know about the others." Third Grandfather shook his head. "This is what they said themselves after they were sure that my master really didn't recognize them."

“Qingsong really doesn’t remember. Before he took you back, he specifically came to me and told me some things from his childhood that made him feel unhappy. So, after telling me all these things, he just forgot about them.”

"We really don't remember. We thought it was intentional." Shen Cha thought for a moment, "If Master Qingsong has forgotten these things, will he remember them again when he sees the people from his memories again?"

"No!" Chu Han shook his head gently. "He and I were just a little worried about that, so we tested it several times. What we can confirm is that no matter how we stimulate him, he won't remember." He looked at Third Grandfather. "Were those two people also trying to awaken Qingsong's memory back then?"

“Yes!” Third Grandfather nodded. “After they sat down, they started introducing themselves and telling stories about their childhood with their master, how they met, and what happened, but…” He looked at Chu Han, “they didn’t mention the imperial examination incident, I guess…” “How could they possibly talk about that? That’s their crime.” Shen Cha sneered. “These two came here so nervously because they were worried that Master Qingsong would still remember this incident. They know that Master Qingsong really doesn’t remember, so they don’t need to worry about it.”

“That’s right!” Third Grandfather nodded. “I was extremely tired from traveling that day. I ate a couple of bites and then felt a bit drowsy. I leaned against my senior brother and fell asleep, but I didn’t sleep very soundly. I could vaguely hear them muttering, but I don’t know how long they muttered. When I opened my eyes, it was already the next morning, and I was already in my guest room. Later, I asked my senior brother what those two people were talking about, but he just sneered and said that children shouldn’t ask so many questions, or they might not grow tall.”

At this point, the third grandfather couldn't help but shrug, his expression one of utter helplessness.

"And then, did they reappear in the following days?"

“No.” Third Master shook his head. “My master took my senior brother and me to all the places he went when he was a child. Then we went to see the master’s advisor. The master’s wife passed away three years ago. We accompanied my master to pay our respects to her. After we finished paying our respects, we left.”

"It's quite strange that they didn't cause any trouble."

“It’s not surprising at all,” Xiao Fengqi sighed and said, “After they found out that the master didn’t remember them at all, they breathed a sigh of relief and hoped that the master would never remember them. Naturally, they wouldn’t run up to the master and get in his way. They would even hope that the master would leave as soon as possible so that they could finally relax.”

“That’s right.” Shen Cha nodded, looked at Chu Han, and said, “So, what happened back then?”

"It's quite simple. Wang Qin and Dong Qian didn't come from very good backgrounds; they were just ordinary families. The two families were cousins, and their families were in business together. They were the only boys in their respective families, so the whole family pinned their hopes on them. They lived up to expectations and were admitted to the best academy in the city."

"Is this the academy where Master Qingsong resides?"

“That’s right!” Chu Han nodded. “They entered the academy around the same time as Qingsong, and at first, they didn’t pay much attention to Qingsong. They knew that Qingsong’s family was well-off and he was a young master, so, like their other classmates, they unconsciously wanted to stay away from him. But you know, bullying is very common in academies, right?”

"Were they both bullied?"

"Yeah, they were bullied because their families aren't well-off. The academy provides lunch for a fee, but it's not mandatory, so neither of their families paid. The students who can get into that academy are all pretty smart, since there are exams to take, and quite a few of them come from wealthy families. Most of them either have lunch delivered to them or it's provided by the academy, except for those two." Chu Han shrugged. "Each of them brings two steamed buns a day, and that's it."

"Got it. After a while, those troublemakers in the academy will figure it out, right?" Seeing Chu Han nod, Shen Cha rolled her eyes. "But he's eating his own bread, not someone else's. To start causing trouble for him like this is too childish, isn't it? Aren't you afraid of being kicked out of the academy?"

"As I said, everyone who can get into that academy is a shrewd person; they certainly wouldn't do something so stupid. So, they waited a long time and finally found a weakness." (End of Chapter)