Chapter 912 - 914: Make Dang Youshen Get Lost
Bai Ruozhu also ignored the pitifully crying Dang Youshen and said coldly, "I didn’t want to fuss over matters with Dang Youshen before, out of consideration for the overall strength of the Academy Competition. Now that the competition is over, and he is still spreading rumors about me, I cannot take him with us on our next journey."
Upon hearing this, Dang Youshen was startled. What did she mean, to leave him behind in Jiangnan?
"His reckless talk has already caused a stir, thanks to Su Bilan’s spreading of it. Even if I’m willing to overlook his actions, I cannot guarantee that soldiers from the Northwest Main Camp won’t lay hands on him. Therefore, it would be safer for Young Master Dang to return to Beiyu City on his own, or perhaps you could ask Lord Liu Yuanzheng to arrange an escort for you," Bai Ruozhu added.
Nobody objected to her words, and even Liu Jianzhou, who had once acted as Dang Youshen’s lackey, had come to see his selfish nature and no longer wished to speak up for him.
The dean of the Academy and the other teachers could not muster the face to plead on his behalf either. After all, this rumor-mongering had begun right after Lord Jiang had departed. If Lord Jiang were here, wouldn’t he have flayed him alive?
Dang Youshen got up whining and complaining. "I’m going to find Lord Liu right now. I don’t believe you have the final say here, and this isn’t over about you hitting me!"
Speaking with a swollen face and a missing tooth, his speech sounded odd, making him seem even more like a buffoon.
"Please do as you wish," Bai Ruozhu said, clearly not concerned about him.
Dang Youshen, clutching his face and whimpering, left. The dean of the Academy sighed and apologized to Bai Ruozhu, "It is my fault for not disciplining my student properly. I am truly ashamed."
"Even the dragon’s nine offspring are all different, let alone students of the Study Palace. Dean, you need not blame yourself. Just don’t take it amiss that I took matters into my own hands," Bai Ruozhu said, quietly observing the expressions of the dean and the others, confirming that no one seemed displeased.
"How could we? Ruozhu, you are not an unreasonable person, and the Study Palace’s accomplishment this time also owes much to your and Tu Ying’s help," the dean said, also giving Tu Ying a smile.
Used to being forthright, Tu Ying blurted out, "Dean, I’m not looking for any rewards. Just expel Dang Youshen, and that’ll be enough. Insulting Ruozhu is tantamount to making an enemy of the Tu Family. We must not show him leniency."
"Rest assured, I have already said that he does not deserve to be a student of the Beiyu Study Palace. He will no longer have a place there in the future," the dean promised solemnly.
Bai Ruozhu and Tu Ying exchanged a glance, then bid farewell to the dean and left the Main Courtyard.
After sending her brother back to his room, Tu Ying immediately ran to find Bai Ruozhu and whispered, "Ruozhu, how about I secretly cripple that Dang guy? Best to make sure he can’t make it back to Beiyu City in time for the Rural Examination. I just thought about it, it’s not worth it. In case he passes the exam and becomes a successful candidate for imperial examinations, then he won’t need to enter Beiyu Academy anymore, making the expulsion pointless, right?"
"Silly girl, how could it be pointless? Do you think being expelled from Beiyu Academy is a good reputation?" Bai Ruozhu said, narrowing her eyes, "Don’t lay a finger on him. He must return safely to Beiyu City, but rest assured, he will definitely not pass the examination."
Tu Ying didn’t understand why Bai Ruozhu was so certain, but she trusted her words anyway. She couldn’t help but laugh, thinking that if he failed again after three years, and still couldn’t enter the Academy, he would really suffer.
Bai Ruozhu snickered to herself; she wished for Dang Youshen to remain forever estranged from the title of ’Juren’.
The very next morning, as they departed Yangzhou, Liu Yuanzheng appeared leading the team, but Dang Youshen’s figure was nowhere to be seen among the group. The head of the Literary Academy was somewhat worried and questioned Liu Yuanzheng, who replied that he had arranged for two soldiers to escort Dang Youshen back to Beiyu City.
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but laugh inwardly upon hearing this. Liu Yuanzheng was a clever man who naturally would not want to offend Bai Ruozhu—or even Jiang Yichun. It was rather cunning of him to assign two soldiers to Dang Youshen; while they could assure his safety, they were just soldiers and good for little else, such as booking horse carriages or ships, all of which Dang Youshen would have to handle himself. A wealthy young master like him had probably never had to deal with such matters, and he would surely face some hard work on his journey.
Unless he sent a message home asking his family to send someone to pick him up, which would then take quite a bit of time. It was very likely that he wouldn’t arrive back at the Beiyu Study Palace with their touring team any sooner.
With this thought, Bai Ruozhu felt particularly good; along the way, she enjoyed food and drinks with everyone, and also took Dengdeng to many places. Although the child was still young and might not understand much, having seen a lot seemed to make Dengdeng different from other children. At the very least, he was not shy and was quite clever.
Diao Yao and Chu Hai were also with them during the journey, but Bai Ruozhu repeatedly warned Chu Hai not to use his inner strength. Aware of the gravity of his situation, Chu Hai calmed down considerably, was no longer as obsessed with medicine as before, and stopped insisting on taking Bai Ruozhu as his master.
Bai Ruozhu added some water from the Spatial Pond to the medicine she prepared for Chu Hai, which allowed his body to recover faster than expected. On the road, she performed the Classical Steaming Detox Method combined with acupuncture detoxification on him once more, which further improved his complexion, though less than a third of the toxins in his body had been removed.
Unable to bear it any longer, she asked, "What could possibly drive you to test such poisons recklessly? Are you truly that crazy? You don’t seem to be the type to act without thinking."
Chu Hai remained silent with a somber expression for a long time. Just when Bai Ruozhu thought her question was in vain and was about to leave, Chu Hai finally spoke, "The same poison afflicted my mother, but I’ve been unable to cure her. She’s been surviving on medication, yet lives like one of the Living Dead. The poison I tested was from the Poisonous Blood she vomited. At the time, I had an Antidote and was completely sure of the outcome, but unexpectedly..."
Bai Ruozhu was taken aback. If the Poisonous Blood Chu Hai’s mother vomited was so potent, the poison within her must be even more virulent, and the methods used to detoxify Chu Hai would be utterly ineffective for her.
"I fear the method used on you might be of no use to your mother. Worse, it could harm her body functions and she might lose all resistance to the poison," Bai Ruozhu cautiously prefaced.
"I know, but I will not give up," Chu Hai said without raising his head, his voice harsh with determination.
As they journeyed on, Bai Ruozhu received information collected by the Commerce Association. The assassin who had targeted her with a hidden weapon was hired by a steward, who, despite coming from a humble household, was in fact affiliated with the Xu Family. It didn’t take much thought to figure out who the mastermind was.
The Xu Family was undoubtedly implicated, but was it Xu Panrui acting on her own, or was it her father Lord Xu who had arranged it?
On the way, Bai Ruozhu sent a letter to Jiang Yichun to inform him of the matter. She said she could handle Xu Panrui herself, but the governor overseeing the transport on waterways would have to be dealt with by Jiang Yichun.
Meanwhile, as Bai Ruozhu and the others were enjoying their tour, the very first Toothpaste Shop in Xuanlang City opened. It had a simple name: Hua Xiangrong Toothpaste Shop, which quickly ignited a buying craze across Jiangnan. However, other than Tang Feng, no one in Xuanlang City knew that the shop belonged to Bai Ruozhu.