After the family fell, I wanted to lie down

The dragon boat race on the canal has come to an end, and Lord Liang, the prefect, has to go back as well. After all, he is very busy with work, and it is a great relief that he can take time out today to come and watch the dragon boat race.

When the prefect traveled, he was followed by officials of all ranks, as well as some masters of aristocratic and powerful families. The scene looked even more crowded from afar. Prefect Liang was not picky about details and ordered his servants to tell the people following him that he was going back to the mansion. Only then did half of the people disperse.

Prefect Liang's carriage was driving fast and steadily until it passed Qinghe College. The guard of the carriage suddenly said that the prefect wanted to stop, and everyone was puzzled.

Two men were walking in front of the original carriage. One of them was wearing a bamboo hat with his hands behind his back, and the other was dressed as a servant boy, carrying a bamboo basket.

"Mr. Zichun." someone shouted loudly.

Given what Mr. Zichun said, no wonder the car stopped.

Sure enough, everyone then discovered that the tall man wearing a bamboo hat in front of them was Mr. Zichun, and following him was the book boy who was usually responsible for welcoming and seeing off guests for him. Both of them were wearing green clothes, and if you didn't pay attention, they would really blend in with the surrounding trees.

Prefect Liang had already gotten off the carriage and walked quickly to the side of Mr. Zichun. The others who followed him followed suit, but they were just a little further away.

Mr. Zichun bowed to the prefect and asked, "Mr. Zichun, have you just come back from watching the game?"

"I didn't go to see it. I was fishing."

The book boy proudly lifted the bamboo basket in his hand and said loudly: "Master, you have caught a lot of fish."

Prefect Liang laughed, and everyone else laughed too. "Mr. Zichun is in a good mood." Shang Zichun did not respond to Prefect Liang's words. Everyone in the world knows that there has always been a gap between scholars and government officials. Besides, everyone knows that Mr. Zichun has a bad temper, just like a toilet...

It's very difficult to communicate if there's no response to such questions. It's so frustrating.

Prefect Liang suddenly took a step closer to Mr. Zichun and said, "Mr. Zichun's teaching... is very good."

He spoke the first few words in a very low voice, but the last few words suddenly rose in pitch.

Everyone agreed, saying that what Mr. Zichun said was right, teaching was good!

Yes, yes, it is very good. Many people want to become his disciples, but none of them have ever taken the first step.

Mr. Zichun was already impatient at this time. You said you wanted to go back, so go back. Why are you blocking my way? It would be fine if you just blocked the road, but you could just say a few words. You are still complimenting everyone.

Although Prefect Liang was demoted to Mo City because he had offended someone in the capital, he did not have to act according to Prefect Liang's wishes. He saluted, waved his hand and left.

"Alas, ever since Mr. Zichun returned to Qinghe Academy, he has been reluctant to socialize and has only focused on teaching!"

"Yeah, yeah."

Prefect Liang was not too impressed by his attitude and just held up three fingers: "Three times!"

"Mr. Zichun came to see me three times in total. Once was when I first took office and he first came to teach at the academy, once was when the academy opened and he needed to give a speech, and the third time was when I went to inspect the students' studies."

Everyone laughed along with Prefect Liang, then continued to move forward with the carriage.

..........

Shang Zichun walked for a while, turned around to look at the carriage that had gone a little further away, with a smile on his face.

The servant boy who was following him was puzzled and suddenly stopped, causing him to bump into Mr. Zichun.

"Sir, it's all my fault. Are you okay?"

"It doesn't matter."

"The prefect just praised me!"

Hey? Mr. Praise, should you be so happy now?

Could it be that the gentleman actually does not take his reputation that seriously, but is just not showing his emotions for the moment?

The depressed mood in the happy gentleman's brow dissipated a lot.

..................

The hustle and bustle of the day faded away, and the Liu Mansion returned to its daytime bustle. The sound of frogs croaking could be heard from the pond of the small river among the residences. Yingge had been busy all day, and after washing up in the evening, she lay down on the bed early to rest.

Suddenly, a burst of scattered footsteps attracted her attention. There was someone there, and it was a master.

Who could be outside?

She lay in bed without moving. After a while, she got up, took a few light steps, and walked to the door and window to look out. The moonlight was dim and bright, and she saw a familiar figure through the crack in the door: Xue, her mother.

It was the dead of night and the dew was heavy. What could possibly be the reason for a weak woman like her to go out?

Yingge decided to follow her. With her years of experience, she was sure that Xue did not know martial arts, but not knowing martial arts did not mean that she did not know other things, just like how Zhixing was able to come to her quietly without her noticing. In modern times, she was also an ordinary worker, rushing to work by subway and bus every day, and performing her tasks impeccably. If she had not been harmlessly killed by her closest companion, she would not have come to this unknown dynasty.

Xue walked slowly and cautiously, which made Yingge feel complicated. She suddenly thought of the rumors outside that she was the illegitimate daughter of the Liu family master...

This is probably not true, if it is true, then...

Xue walked very carefully along the way. She quickly passed through the gate of the mixed residential area and then came to the familiar street that Yingge usually took to go to school.

Yingge hid in the dark. She saw Xue passing by the shop where the iron was still being forged in the middle of the night. She didn't even look at the shop, but just walked past it and disappeared into the night.

Yingge knew she couldn't follow anymore, so she returned to her room. She had some guesses about the general situation, such as the blacksmith shop that worked day and night, the aunt who sold fish and vegetables every day, and the farmer carrying firewood she saw by chance. She was not a fool, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to become a senior instructor in modern times. But after all, even a good horse can stumble.

The sound of gongs rang out, and the people holding lanterns stopped their patrolling accompanied by a burst of chaotic footsteps.

This is the patrolman from the Liu family.

It is a peaceful and prosperous time now, so there is no need to take such strict precautions. However, the Liu family is a family of military origin, and Master Liu has always been strict in managing his family. An old man with some difficulty in walking was patrolling in the courtyard. Suddenly, he made a gesture to stop the neatly arranged team.

"Lao Zhuo, what's wrong? What happened? Is there anything unusual?"

Lao Zhuo didn't say anything. He held up the lantern and shone it forward. He saw something strange in the bushes ahead. Then he took a gun from the soldier behind him and threw it directly over. Suddenly, a scream was heard in the bushes.

"Meow……"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

It turned out to be a big, snoring cat. I was so scared.

"Uncle Zhuo is great. He is still as brave as ever. He can see the difference here at a glance."

The person who called him Uncle Zhuo did not feel that this was a compliment to him. The team rearranged themselves and the grass returned to silence. Only the summer insects around them were still croaking. Yingge, who had narrowed his range and shrunk himself into a small circle, finally breathed a sigh of relief. He tidyed himself up and took advantage of the night to enter Master Liu's living room.

In modern times, Yingge has climbed many tall buildings with the help of high-tech technology. In this dynasty, he climbed mountains to study. It can be said that it was effortless for him to go to Master Liu's bedroom again.

The maid who was on night watch suddenly felt a coolness on her neck. She quickly heard a noise coming from the eunuch with her sleepy eyes. It was common for the master to get up to drink tea at night. The maid hesitated for a moment, got up quietly, opened the bed of Master Liu, and saw that he and his wife were sleeping soundly together. The maid then closed the curtains and went to rest.

Yingge finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, her proof was confirmed. Xue was not having a tryst with Master Liu. Fortunately, she was not Master Liu's illegitimate daughter.......

There was nothing unspeakable between Xue and Mr. Liu. If Xue couldn't stand the loneliness and insisted on remarrying, Yingge would very much agree. But she hoped she didn't do anything like stealing or prostitution. After all, she didn't want to build a chastity arch for her or anything like that.

___________

After returning to the mixed residence, Yingge finally breathed a sigh of relief. Xue had not come back yet. Tonight's tracking was fruitful. Although he had not yet obtained some useful information, he at least knew that Xue was a person with secrets. Tonight's first tracking was also a success. This was thanks to his skills in modern times and his daily hard training since he came to this dynasty. Of course, there was also a little bit of Mr. Zhixing's teachings.

Yingge sat alone in the dark room, thinking. At least she had taken a step forward in what she wanted to know. Xue had a secret. As for where she went tonight, Yingge didn't know either.

Qinghe Academy in the night is less noisy and bustling than in the daytime. The lanterns hanging at the entrance of the academy sway in the night breeze. Looking up from the bottom, the academy seems like a mountain pressing down and connecting the sky and the earth.

Inside the academy, there were occasional lights. That was where the school building was. The students and teachers who had been teaching during the day had already fallen asleep. Suddenly, a sharp bird call was heard, and the little boy who was guarding a gatehouse at the front of the school building was awakened from his sleepy state. Later, he heard another short and rapid bird call. He woke up in an instant, put on his shoes and ran up the mountain.

In Xiaolin Hall, which was not far away, there were calls all day long, as if competing with the birdsong outside. The calls became louder and louder until the birdsong disappeared. Zhixing turned over and continued to sleep soundly, muttering, "You just know how to make noise, but you don't know how to take it easy. You disturb my sweet dreams."

Mr. Zichun put on his shoes and clothes, picked up a cloak and put it on, then went out with a lantern.

"Sir Shang." Shang Zichun raised the lantern forward, illuminating the woman, Xue, who was looking for him.

"What brings you here so late at night?"

"Why didn't Lord Shang accept Yingge?"

"In order not to arouse unnecessary suspicion."

"The Liu family has announced that the child has such a bad reputation. How could I easily accept him?"

Xue nodded to show that she understood.

"Liang Jingtian praised her during the day." This means there is nothing wrong with this.

"Well, whatever you say is fine, but Lord Du wants to join the military camp. Studying is too slow..."

Shang Zichun was obviously getting angry. "Slow down, how fast does he want to go? Studying is the foundation of life. They don't know anything. Can all problems be solved by force?"

Xue held her forehead and said helplessly: "Don't tell me, I'm a woman, I don't know anything..., you bunch of scholars..."

Shang Zichun was obviously not satisfied with her answer, but wanted to say something, but then he held it back.

"So what do you think we should do next?"

"Liu Wenru, the military commander, naturally doesn't want him to pursue a career in education. He will definitely be furious when he finds out, and then he will just go with the flow..."

"When the time comes, you can bring him to me. Although sometimes I don't like the child's behavior, you can also learn from the story of drawing on a bamboo stick to teach a child or Meng Mu's mother... Then, I will deliberately make things difficult for him, and maybe this matter will be resolved."

"Sir Shang, what mother are you talking about?"

Shang Zichun felt his temples throbbing, with some signs of anger, "How come you don't understand anything?"

Xue was a little timid in front of Shang Zichun. "I am just a woman. I don't know much about teaching and educating people. But please don't forget that it was us, who knew nothing at all, who rescued her... If it were up to you..."

Shang Zichun knew what Xue had not finished saying. He felt that this woman was taking revenge on him. This was too vicious and hit the nail on the head.

It was late at night and there was a moment of silence between the two.

However, there was no dispute between them, and there was not enough time.

"Okay, don't argue about this. You have made great contributions."

"We have not done anything great. We just have to do our duty and do what we are supposed to do."

"It's good enough that you can do your duty well. You should be more careful in your actions. Maybe someone has already started to suspect you."

"It's unlikely. He kept it a secret very well. Only a few of us knew about it, and he didn't come out much on weekdays."

Shang Zichun put his hands behind his back and looked at the dark night in the distance. "Hide? It's called hiding if you can hide it. Who are you hiding? Can you hide it from everyone in the world?" At this point, he paused for a moment, "I heard that Lu Gong is coming..."

"Ah... What should I do? Is he sent by the court, or..."

"I don't know yet. It seems I have to be careful next time."

"All of these things are still unknown. I just received the news."

"Then I wonder who the message was from..."

"You don't have to bother asking about these things. Don't you know that what we are going to do is very dangerous? Everyone, whether you believe it or not, this is a matter of turning around and involving the family. It is better not to know some news."

Xue touched her hair with her hand to hide her embarrassment. "You are right."

Shang Zichun looked up at the sky and said, "You should go back soon. It's too late and it will easily attract other people's attention."

Xue also looked up following his gaze and said, "Yes, Ge'er is a very hardworking child. You will definitely like her if you see her."

"It doesn't matter whether I like her or not. What matters is how people in the world view her and whether they like her or not."

"You bunch of scholars, eh..." After saying this, Xue turned around and walked down the mountain.

Shang Zichun stood there for a while and said, "Humph, a bunch of warriors, how can they educate a child well?"