Chapter 862 - 864 The Villain Sues First_1
Bai Ruozhu listened but neither hurried nor got angry; instead, she laughed and said to Jiang Yichun, "Look, I was right, when they can’t win, they call for the elders to step in."
Jiang Yichun was also amused by her expression and tone and stood up, saying, "Let’s go and take a look, to avoid making things difficult for Dean Wen and the others."
"Of course we’re going, if the elder can’t discern right from wrong, I must teach him a good lesson." Bai Ruozhu also got up, ready to argue with someone.
Jiang Yichun shook his head with a smile, reached out to carry Dengdeng, knowing that if he didn’t let his wife have a proper word with the other party, she would surely feel suffocated.
The soldiers led the way to where Dean Wen and the others were meeting. Before entering, they heard an old voice shouting inside, "Wen Xize, it’s only been a year since we last met, and you’ve become so shameless? Not having outstanding students of your own, you deliberately ruined our contestant, are you that afraid of being outdone?"
"Zhang Xiuquan, you’re still as unreasonable as ever. Do I need to destroy one of your junior team members? It’s as if you can’t do without winning the championship," retorted Dean Wen with indignation.
Inside, the two old men were squabbling back and forth, nothing like their usual refined and scholarly selves. The team members inside, let alone Bai Ruozhu and Jiang Yichun outside, couldn’t help but laugh at each other.
These two elders must have been at it for many years.
"Call out that Bai Ruozhu for me. Today I must seek justice for Wang Tianyou. Just because she holds a fifth-rank imperial order, she thinks she can hit people willy-nilly?" shouted Zhang Xiuquan, the dean of Chang’an Academy.
Bai Ruozhu pushed the door and entered, looking at him and said, "No need to search, I’ve come by myself. If Dean Zhang is dissatisfied, speak to me directly. I hit Wang Tianyou because he deserved it. It’s unrelated to Beiyu Academy and has nothing to do with Dean Wen. If you want to pick a quarrel, find a better reason, so people won’t laugh behind your back that Chang’an Academy has no one else and relies solely on a Wang Tianyou to compete for ranks."
Zhang Xiuquan, a scrawny little old man with a short stature and almost snorting through his nose, disdainfully glanced at Bai Ruozhu and said, "So you’re that fifth-rank appointee. Since you’ve hit my team member today, let’s go to the Government Office to talk."
A fierce light flashed in Jiang Yichun’s eyes; this old man dared to take his wife to the Government Office, was he tired of living?
Yet Bai Ruozhu smiled at Zhang Xiuquan, "Fine, to the Government Office we go. By then, having your team member thrown into prison before the competition will certainly be disgraceful enough for Chang’an Academy."
Seeing that Wang Tianyou was the only one accompanying Zhang Xiuquan, she knew he definitely hadn’t recounted the full story.
"Wang Tianyou kept mocking and insulting me upon seeing me. Does Chang’an Academy grant its students the privilege to freely insult the wives of imperial court officials? Even if I were just an ordinary woman, his insults towards me and my husband are unacceptable. Where have all his teachings of the sages gone?" she said.
At this, Wang Tianyou became anxious, stretching his neck saying, "I didn’t insult you, I simply mistook you for a kitchen maid! It was just a misunderstanding, and because of it, you used the guard by your side to beat me. You’re nothing but a shrew!"
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but snort coldly, "There were plenty of eyes watching then, even the people from your academy might find it hard to protect you, right? No worries, your classmates and my guards may not be good witnesses, but there are plenty of maids and servants in this mansion. Kitchen maids and pageboys nearby all heard your disrespectful words insulting me and my husband. I’m sure the Prefect would have no difficulty finding witnesses upon investigation."
She closed in on Wang Tianyou step by step, "It’s just some conflict between your aunt and me, and you deliberately cause me trouble. That’s just our personal feud from before. But now, by dragging both Study Palaces into this, do you think the head of Chang’an Academy is so easily fooled to be used as a pawn by you? Or do you think you can’t win against me, so you find it honorable to seek backing from elders?"
"If you’re incapable, don’t look for trouble at random. If you can’t argue or fight your way out, what can you do? If you want to go to the Government Office, I, Bai Ruozhu, will accompany you to the end. After all, it’s you who will lose face. Insulting Imperial Court officials and married women, I guess you would get thirty beatings, right?" Bai Ruozhu said before shaking her head, "Those two slaps of mine were actually quite light. If I weren’t so soft-hearted, I would’ve already sent you off to the Government Office."
Wang Tianyou’s eyes whirled round and round. If this were in the Capital, those maids and Servants would certainly not bear false witness, but this was Jiangnan—no one in this Residence knew him. If they really were to testify, wouldn’t he be punished by the prefectural magistrate?
Seeing Bai Ruozhu speak with such certainty, Principal Zhang also started to doubt, yet he refused to admit defeat and said, "A gentleman uses his tongue, not his fists. Now Lady Jiang has reason after hitting someone?"
"Some people just deserve a beating. Besides, I’m not a gentleman. Don’t you scholars love to say that only women and villains are difficult to raise? I don’t have the time to squabble with him. Hitting him was to teach him to behave better, to stop the incessant cursing and bragging about his noble birth. Is this the kind of character Chang’an Academy teaches its students?" Bai Ruozhu finished saying.
Upon hearing this, the people from Beiyu Academy were furious. Bai Ruozhu had healed and saved people along the way, and deep down, they greatly admired her. Moreover, there had been several assassination attempts; only thanks to Jiang Yichun’s protection were they able to arrive safely. Thus, in their minds, the people from Beiyu Academy felt allied with Jiang Yichun and his wife.
"Is this the integrity of students from the Capital City?" The first to speak was Bai Zepei, his voice not loud and his tone even, but the irony was especially poignant to those who heard it.
"To curse people like this and then play the victim—is utterly shameless!" Liu Jianzhou exclaimed.
"To insult Sir Jiang and his wife is to insult us at Beiyu Academy. Did you really think we’re easy to bully?" Guo Xing too raised his voice.
Just then, urgent footsteps came from outside, followed by Ding Guangji, who rushed in with others. Anxiously looking at Zhang Xiuquan, he said, "Principal Zhang, we hurried here as soon as we heard Wang Tianyou had come to you with accusations. We were present at the time; it was Wang Tianyou who insulted Lady Jiang first."
Enraged, Wang Tianyou yelled, "Ding Guangji, you traitorous bastard!"
"Still haven’t learned to watch your mouth? A scholar whose words are always so filthy really disgraces the Academy," Ding Guangji said bluntly.
Zhang Xiuquan, having realized that Wang Tianyou had concealed the truth before, angrily flicked his sleeves and said, "You dare deceive me, I wash my hands of this matter!"
Having said that, he walked away, but Bai Ruozhu blocked the Main Gate with a step to the side, "Why isn’t Wang Tianyou going to the Government Office to accuse me anymore?"
"Lady Jiang, you should show mercy when you can. You’ve hit someone and taken the advantage, don’t be too excessive," said Zhang Xiuquan, unable to save face, grinding his teeth as he spoke.
Bai Ruozhu still didn’t move aside, shrugged her shoulders, and said with a sense of resignation, "I’m one to hold grudges and I don’t like being bullied for no reason. I had already warned Wang Tianyou, yet he remains unrepentant and continues to cause trouble. If I just let him go back, wouldn’t others think I’m easy to bully?"