Chapter 71: Combat Qi

When the three groups met, the kneeling servants were naturally ignored. At that moment, the other two groups stared at each other, their gazes exchanging countless times. Compared to Fang Ling and Sun Han, Zhang Yue wasn’t particularly anxious—he had already resolved not to get involved in the affairs of the Imperial Academy. Since that was the case, no matter how much power the Academy’s head held, it wasn’t his concern. He assumed the other party wouldn’t make a big deal out of him sneaking into the Academy.

Thus, his attention was almost entirely on the middle-aged man who seemed to be from the Jinyiwei. Whether by intuition or illusion, he felt the man’s gaze also fixed on him—intense and piercing, much like Mu Ning’s earlier scrutiny, as if it could pierce through a person at any moment.

While those two were locked in a stare-off, the other three were doing the same.

Xiao Wei, the head of the Imperial Academy, was an old civil official from the Hongwu era. During the Jianwen era, he didn’t rise to prominence like Fang Xiaoru or Huang Zicheng, so he remained unremarkable until now, managing to secure a high-ranking position of the fourth rank. Adhering to the principle that civil and military officials should not mix, he had always disdained the military descendants in the Academy. If not for the extremely unusual status of the man beside him, he would have used the Academy’s rules to deal with Fang Ling and Sun Han.

After suppressing his anger, he finally snarled, “It’s currently the off-season at the Imperial Academy. You, Fang Ling and Sun Han, have brought outsiders here to wander around—where do you think court laws stand? Considering your youth and ignorance, take these people away immediately. If you dare repeat this, the punishment hall is not just for show!”

Still furious, he glared at the two kneeling servants and shouted, “If any outsiders enter again, I’ll hold you both accountable!”

The two servants hadn’t heard anyone speak to them since they knelt down. After witnessing the standoff between the two groups, they were already sore in the back and neck. Hearing this scolding, they lamented inwardly—since the head of the Academy couldn’t deal with these descendants of meritorious officials, he was taking out his anger on them, ordinary people. It was like fish suffering because of a fire at the city gates. Though they thought this, they could only obediently bow and agree, then stand aside dejectedly.

Fangling and Sun Han also felt resentful at this moment. Although their families were not among the top noble houses among the meritorious officials, nor were they outstanding at home, who else but their elders would dare to speak to them in such a condescending tone? Yet, thinking of their own prospects at the Imperial Academy and fearing they might implicate Zhang Yue, they could only swallow their anger, take Zhang Yue by the hand, and prepare to leave.

“Wait a moment.”

Just then, a gentle yet firm voice came from the side. Those three simple words stunned not only Fangling, Sun Han, and Zhang Yue, who were about to leave, but also the two servants who were about to return to the punishment hall to vent their anger on the offending students, as well as Xiao Wei, the head of the Imperial Academy, who was gloating after venting his anger. They all turned their gaze in the same direction.

“Lord Xiao, you’re mistaken. Although the Imperial Academy is a place of great importance for studies, the current emperor has also said that the sons of noble families who wish to pursue a literary career may enter the academy to study. This means the academy is not strictly guarded, and not everyone outside is barred from entering. If I’m not mistaken, these two are descendants of the Marquises of Fuchang and Yingcheng, and those who accompany them are not outsiders. Why then, Lord Xiao, refuse to let them in?”

Xiao Wei never expected that the person beside him would speak up for Zhang Yue and the others. His expression immediately darkened.

There were already many stubborn people in the world, but after the massacre at the beginning of the Yongle era, coupled with Jie Jin being frozen to death by Ji Gang, the commander of the Jinyiwei, acting on the emperor’s orders, those who survived were all cunning and adaptable civil officials. So, despite his anger, he forced himself to suppress the urge to mock them. It was not only because of the identity of the person beside him but also because he was worried that the situation might escalate out of control.

Thus, he put aside his cold expression and smiled slightly, saying, “Since Captain Yuan says so, Fangling Sun Han, you two take them around and have a good look. After just one round, Captain Yuan should have seen that my Imperial Academy is well-protected. It’s still the third day of the new year, and I still have guests at home, so I must take my leave now.”

With that, he turned and left leisurely. Judging from his unhurried pace, those who didn’t know what had happened might think he was truly carefree and uninvolved, never guessing that a strange confrontation had just taken place there. At this point, the two servants also sensed trouble and made up an excuse to leave, leaving only four people behind.

The death of the former Jinyiwei commander Ji Gang delighted many, yet the Jinyiwei’s Beizhenfu Si, still operating like a well-oiled machine, stood there indifferently. Especially since many people were suddenly imprisoned in Beizhenfu Si’s imperial prison this time, adding an even darker shadow to the Jinyiwei’s reputation.

Although Fangling’s Sun Han was young, he had grown up in Nanjing and naturally recognized the attire of the man before him. Zhang Yue, on the other hand, pondered deeply upon the name “Yuan Qianhu.”

Could this man be the very Yuan Qianhu who had been transferred from the Henan military unit to serve as the chief executioner at Beizhenfu Si? With Ji Gang dead, Prince Han Zhu Gaoxu seemed destined for misfortune, and his uncle Zhang Xin also became a victim, yet this man managed to rise in status. From this, it seemed Yuan Qianhu had nothing to do with the Zhang family and might even hold an opposing stance. But why did he feel a hint of something that wasn’t malicious?

Yuan Qianhu seemed unaware of the expressions on the three youths’ faces. He smiled and said, “I invited Lord Xiao to inspect the Imperial Academy today intending to do him a great favor, but unexpectedly, he wasn’t cooperative. It’s quite a fortunate coincidence that you three happened to visit the Imperial Academy today.”

Fangling, being the elder and proud of his family’s status as meritorious officials, was originally uninterested in dealing with the Jinyiwei. Hearing about this fortunate opportunity, he became intrigued and asked sternly, “Can Yuan Qianhu clarify what he means?”

In response to Fangling’s question, Yuan Qianhu merely glanced at Zhang Yue, bowed slightly, and then turned to leave. Zhang Yue could tolerate his evasive manner, but Sun Han found it infuriating. As soon as the man disappeared from sight, Sun Han vented all his frustration from earlier at Xiao Wei, the head of the Imperial Academy.

“What use are these civil officials? They only know classical texts and know how to act superior! That Yuan guy is even worse—talks in riddles and hesitantly. He’s just a fifth-rank Qianhu. Does he think he’s another Ji Gang?”

Fangling didn’t join in the cursing. Pensive, he said, “I’ll go outside and take a look,” then left the two of them in a hurry. Zhang Yue ignored Sun Han’s complaints and continued to ponder why a Qianhu from Beizhenfu Si was here.

Shouldn’t Beizhenfu Si be responsible only for handling imperial prison cases? Since when had it started to concern itself with the security of the Imperial Academy?