Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2889 Master Qingsong 107.0
“Yunshan Academy was originally divided into two parts. After my master returned to the Yun family, he went to Yunshan Academy. At that time, the Yun family members were in the inner courtyard, while students recruited from outside the family were in the outer courtyard.”

"Isn't this good?" Jin Miaomiao frowned. "We don't interfere with each other, and we don't have to care who surpasses whom or whose assessment is better than whose."

“That’s what they thought before, but in reality, things didn’t turn out as they expected; there were even more problems.” Third Grandfather sighed. “Problems you can’t even imagine.”

"Those who can study at the academy must be quite young, right?"

"Hmm!" Third Grandfather nodded. "The oldest is no more than eighteen years old, and the youngest is only five or six years old." Third Grandfather smiled wryly. "They are all hot-blooded children, at the age when they are most competitive and most prone to causing trouble."

"With such a heavy workload at Yunshan Academy, they still have time to cause trouble?" Jin Miaomiao sneered. "Then it seems that the workload isn't heavy enough."

“Young kids, no matter how heavy their studies are, will find time to cause trouble to vent their excess energy,” Xia Chen chuckled. “Even with the heavy workload at the Imperial Academy, some people still arrange to fight on the drill ground, coming back with bruises and swelling. Although they tell the headmaster and teachers that they bumped into something accidentally, the headmaster and teachers aren’t blind. Who would bump their eye and end up with a fist-shaped bump? But they’re used to it; after all, they were that age themselves and know what kind of trouble people get into at that age. As long as it’s not too outrageous, they won’t interfere. Only when things cross the line will they step in.” He looked at his third grandfather and said, “Yunshan Academy is the same, right?”

“Yes!” Third Grandfather nodded. “That’s probably how it is in all academies. They won’t interfere unless things go too far.” He smiled and said, “When my master was at Yunshan Academy, there were about twenty Yun family disciples, and about twenty of them were admitted. About half of these twenty were sons of merchants who had business dealings with the Yun family. Although they were sons of merchants, their studies were still quite good. They were admitted to Yunshan Academy after passing the examination. If they didn’t meet the standards, no amount of connections would help.”

"That's alright, he's not the kind of good-for-nothing playboy." Jin Miaomiao stroked her chin. "But, when Master was studying, there were so few people at Yunshan Academy. Wasn't he famous back then?"

"How could that be!" Xue Ruitian patted Jin Miaomiao on the shoulder. "Yunshan Academy has been famous since the previous dynasty, but it's even harder to get in than the Imperial Academy. First, there's the entrance exam, and then there are monthly and quarterly assessments. Those who don't meet the standards are expelled. Many who are eliminated during the entrance exam, or those who are expelled after studying for a while, go to other academies. So, Yunshan Academy seems to have fewer students, but it's better to be selective, right?"

"No matter how well they excel academically, children are still children, and their conflicts are inevitable. Although they may not be related to academics, they can still argue for all sorts of absurd reasons. When Master was studying at the academy, several of his arguments were caused by him."

"Master?" Shen Cha frowned slightly. "Because he doesn't really talk to others?"

“Yes!” Third Grandfather nodded. “Although there are inner and outer courtyards, lunch is still eaten in the same place. Every time my master goes to lunch, he sits alone in a corner without saying a word. The people sitting next to him are all children of the Yun family. These children will work for the First Elder when they grow up. They are considered the First Elder’s confidants, so they need to be trained from a young age.”

"They're considered family, right?" "They are family." Third Grandfather smiled. "After Master became the Grand Elder, the elders he trusted most were those who grew up with him. They studied together, learned in the inner courtyard of the Yun family, went on their own trials, and eventually returned to the Yun family to become the new generation of pillars of the Yun family. But at that time, they didn't know their future path. They were just following the family's requirements to protect those who might become the next Grand Elder."

"But to outsiders, this isn't how it appears, right?"

“That’s right.” Third Grandfather nodded to Shen Cha. “In the eyes of outsiders, Master is an aloof person. Although those students from outside don’t usually interact much with the Yun family, they’re just nodding to each other when they meet. But they’ve never seen someone like Master who ignores everyone. Among the students from outside, there are naturally those from good families who have been pampered since childhood and are treated like royalty. Of course, they can’t stand Master’s behavior. So, during lunch, they came to cause trouble for Master with their friends, but they were all turned away by the others. Master didn’t even give them a second glance.”

"They felt neglected, so they started taking action?"

"They didn't go so far as to physically attack me; they just blocked my way, trying to provoke my master with words and make him angry. But they don't understand my master. From childhood to adulthood, it's been very difficult for anything to truly anger him. Before returning to the Yun family, they were his parents, and after returning to the Yun family, they are still his parents."

"Where are my master and you?"

"It was only after he took us in that we became people he cared about. After becoming the Grand Elder, he probably added the Yun family to his list?" Third Grandfather chuckled. "Besides these people, there were also his friends, such as several princes from Xijing City. Of course, he didn't know any of these people when he was studying at the academy, so he only cared about his parents. Therefore, no matter what those people said, he remained unmoved. On the contrary, the Yun family members around him, young and impetuous, endured the repeated provocations from the other party time and time again. When they finally couldn't take it anymore, the two sides started pushing and shoving each other."

"They did resort to violence."

“The kind of fighting between children is different from what you call fighting. It's just that you push him, he pushes you back, and before you know it, you're on the ground, crying loudly enough to attract the attention of the teachers. Then both sides start complaining, each saying that the other started it. The teachers don't believe them, so they ask my master. My master doesn't hide anything and repeats everything they said.” The third master paused for a moment, “and imitated them perfectly, mimicking the way those children looked and spoke when they came to cause trouble.”

"The advisor does have a sense of humor," Jin Miaomiao chuckled. "Are those people on the other side getting angry out of embarrassment?"

"Not really. The advisor said that even though they were wailing and howling over there, they didn't dare to make a sound. They could only obediently accept their punishment and then slunk away."