History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 80 The Shameless and Unscrupulous Du Ling

Master Li: "Very well, Wei Yao will be the first questioner and will choose the answerer."

Wei Yao stood up and turned diagonally to the right front: "I choose Wei Zhen as my fellow disciple."

Qu Rong's tense shoulders relaxed instantly, followed by a surge of shame. He had to admit that he was afraid to compare his studies with Wei Yao. But why would she choose Wei Zhen? Didn't they often play together?
Wei Zhen knew what was going on and stood up.

Master Li: "Wei Yao poses the question."

"Guan Guan Jujiu".

Wei Zhen immediately replied, "On the islet in the river."

Huh? The students preparing for the exam were all taken aback! What? Guan Guan Jujiu? A fellow student from the same school wrote "Guan Guan Jujiu"? Anyone could answer that!

Master Li: "Correct answer. Wei Yao sits down, and Wei Zhen selects the person to answer."

"I choose Wei Jingtong."

"So that's how it is!" Wei Jing suddenly realized. This was the poetry recitation game the four of them usually played. It was Yao's idea; she would ask Zhen questions, Zhen would ask him, and then he would ask Amao. Once, he even jokingly wondered which classmate Amao would choose if the college entrance exam used this format.
Master Li: "Wei Zhen will set the question."

"A graceful lady".

“A gentleman seeks a good match.” Even though Wei Jing was lost in thought, he answered correctly.

This really worried Wu Ji and Wei Jian, two academic underachievers. Why weren't they chosen? Why weren't they chosen? They could even recite "Guan Guan Jujiu" from memory.

Master Li: "Wei Jingxuan will answer."

"I choose Wei Mao."

Wei Jing set the question: "Uneven watercress".

"Flowing to the left and right."

Master Li: "Wei Maoxuan will answer."

Wei Mao stood to the side, looking at Qu Rong.

At 1:15 AM, the monthly couplet test for the students in the Book of Songs dormitory ended first. Wei Mao asked Qu Rong three questions, but Qu Rong couldn't answer any of them and was given a failing grade three times. Meanwhile, Wu Ji and other underachievers were inspired by "Guan Guan Jujiu" and asked each other the simplest questions, all of which passed.

So everyone else could go home, but Qu Rong had to follow Master Li to the Master's courtyard for an additional test.

Du Ling hurriedly gave his disciples a few words of instruction before heading to the Master's Academy.

At this moment, dozens of students from the outer academy had already entered the Book of Poetry section. Du Ling was comforting the dejected Qu Rong when a figure rushed towards him, shouting and hitting him repeatedly: "Du Ling, you old dog, you really are hiding and dare not see me!"

It's Du Tongding! Damn it, how dare he break into the Wei Clan School?!

"Where is Guan Nu? Guan Nu—" Du Ling hurriedly called for help.

But Du Tongding grabbed his collar and wouldn't let go. It wasn't that Du Tongding had such courage, but rather that Wei Mao had warned him: if he didn't bite Du Ling to death today, it would be Du Tongding who died!

"Come and see this old scoundrel! He's the one who killed your old teacher, Master Duan, at the Wei Academy!"

"Let go... let go now..." Guan Nu couldn't pull Du Tongding away from his frantic struggle like a wild boar in a moment. They're all useless! Du Ling will handle this himself! He precisely intervened amidst the opponent's chaotic attacks, his five fingers digging fiercely into Du Tongding's large face.

"Let go of my master!" Qu Rong was terrified. After realizing what was happening, she grabbed the strange bad guy and bit him.

Du Tongding burst into tears, sobbing... "I'm not doing this anymore..." But Young Master Wei Mao was staring at him from the crowd.

"He didn't dare let me finish speaking. Don't you students of Weishi want to know the truth about Master Duan's death?" Du Tongding grabbed Du Ling with his left hand while still clutching the other's clothes with his right hand, shouting even harder.

Master Li finally gave the order: "Guan Nu, let go! Let him speak!" He first pulled the terrified Qu Rong behind him, and then warned Du Tongding, "If you don't want to be accidentally beaten to death here, let go of Master Du and speak properly."

Du Ling: "He can speak properly? He's a madman!"

“Master Du—” Master Li’s drawn-out voice drowned out all the noise, “It’s better to say these crazy things here than on the street. Masters of the villa, please take your disciples to wait with the headmaster. Before today’s matter is clarified, please do not spread it outside.”

Du Tongding's face was now a bloodstained mess. He was a scoundrel to begin with, and the bloodshed seemed to have stirred a madness within him. With a touch of genuine sadness, he said, "My name is Du Tongding. I was studying diligently at the state academy, but it was him! Wearing a tattered straw hat, dressed..."

"Master Li! Do you really allow him to speak nonsense?" Du Ling interrupted him, making a final, meaningful struggle: "If someone is smeared with dirty water, no matter how clean they are, they are still dirty. Don't you know this principle?"

Wei Mao stepped forward: "You've already been splashed. We are disciples of Master Duan, and Master Li, all of us disciples have the right to know the truth, and we must know it today!"

Qu Rong sobbed and shook his head repeatedly. No, he didn't want to know, he didn't want to know at all. What was the truth? The truth was that this might be the only teacher in the world who was kind to him!

Du Tongding grinned, his face becoming even uglier, making it impossible to tell whether he was crying or laughing. In truth, he still found it difficult to reconcile Master Du with the hermit, but his own fate had indeed been ruined, and he needed to find someone to hate. He dared not hate Xi Jiao, dared not hate Wei Mao, so he would follow the wishes of these powerful young masters and hate Du Ling.

He pulled out a string of pearls and showed it to the surrounding students: "That's him! Du Ling, the one who stopped me that day and gave me this string of pearls, telling me to give them to the courtesan at the Changyi Pavilion in Hexi Lane, so that she could seduce the eldest son of your school's old teacher, Duan. And it was him, Du Ling, who sabotaged things beforehand, making old teacher Duan's cow sick, so he had to walk to teach. And it was him, Du Ling, who kicked old teacher Duan down when the courtesan was seducing the eldest son. It was him who kicked old teacher Duan down..."

"You're spouting nonsense!" Du Ling was furious. "The day Master Duan fell, I was on my way to give a lecture at the state academy. Besides, how could I have made Master Duan's ox sick? What evidence do you have?"

"That's what I've been waiting for!" Wei Mao asked loudly, "And what was the first point he mentioned?"

Wei Jing stood beside his partner and said, "Right, what about the first point he mentioned? Why don't you prove it yourself?"

Wei Mao: "Where were you at that time?"

Wei Yao stepped forward: "Is there any witness?"

Wei Zhen stepped forward: "If you can't answer, we'll report you to the authorities right now!"

Wu Ji stepped forward, Wei Jian stepped forward, Wei Jiezhi stepped forward, and Wei Puti, ashamed of his own contradictions, also stepped forward.

Du Ling's spirit visibly crumbled under the barrage of questions. His back was no longer straight; he glanced with concern at Qu Rong, who was still weeping, and then at the apprentices, including Wei Mao.

“You have never treated me as your teacher for a single day, yet I have never failed to teach you diligently. Ah, there is no point in saying more. My conscience is clear. Go ahead, go report to the authorities. I am willing to accept the judgment of the government rather than let my disciples bear the name of deceiving their teacher and judge me. Teacher Li, please clean up the mess. I will go to the teacher's residence to pack my things. Don't worry, I won't run away.”

How shameless can a person be?
Du Ling has run away!

Upon investigation, it was found that this fellow had prepared everything he needed for his escape, including a fake beard and a wig. As soon as he returned to the Confucius Institute, he called Wei Weng into the room and knocked him unconscious. Then, carrying Wei Weng's large broom, he calmly left right under the noses of the two gatekeepers.

The words are divided into two parts.

As the students finished their joint examinations, the roar of the Yuan governor erupted from the dungeon of the prefecture: "Where is my bear? Where is the bear I specially raised for the great hunt?"

(End of this chapter)