Harem Daily Life

The chief priest rubbed his eyes, and when he looked again, his legs almost fell to the ground.

It was only because Tao Yanyan spoke that he did not directly expose Tao Yanyan's identity.

"This must be the Master of the Imperial Academy, right? I've met several of these gentlemen today, so I stopped by the Imperial Academy to take a look. This highest institution of learning in the Great Zhou Dynasty truly lives up to its reputation."

The chief academician quickly calmed himself down and said respectfully, "It is an honor for our Imperial College to have you here, Madam. Would you like to come in and take a look?" As he spoke, he was already preparing to make way.

He Jinan glanced at He Feng and said, "No need for that. Madam is just here to see us off. We'll be returning home soon after. However, He Feng just said that it's not proper for Madam to stand on the main road outside the Imperial College. I'd appreciate your judgment, Master Jijiu."

The chief priest wiped the sweat from his forehead and glared at He Feng unhappily: "You've copied the Imperial College rules more than ten times. Which rule says that carriages can't be parked on the main road outside the Imperial College? You're being rude to the lady. Apologize quickly!"

In view of He Feng's excellent academic performance, the Lord Chief Priest still valued his talent, so he pulled his sleeve and asked him to say a few soft words to apologize, and the matter was over.

However, He Feng believed that what he said was not wrong and refused to give in.

The Master of the Imperial Academy had no choice but to personally apologize to Empress Tao. The other teachers did not know Empress Tao, and some of them did not quite understand why the Master of the Imperial Academy was so respectful.

Tao Yanyan didn't care about it and quickly asked the chief priest to be polite.

As the sky was getting darker, Tao Yanyan said a few more words to He Jinan before leaving with his men.

After the Queen's carriage had gone far away, the Chief Priest finally released all his strength and almost fell to the ground. It was only when He Jinan and Fang Xuewen supported him that he managed to keep his balance.

The chief priest looked at He Jinan and said, "Jinan, did you meet Madam by chance today?" It would be fine if they met by chance, but they were afraid that the person had come specially, and they failed to welcome her in time, which would be a big mistake.

He Jinan naturally understood what the Master Chief Liquor meant and said with a smile, "Your Excellency, Zhang Jian and I went to the Sihai Restaurant for dinner and occupied Madam's private room. Madam only realized we were there after she arrived, and that's how we met. It was a chance encounter. As it was getting late, Madam was worried about us, so she personally sent us to the Imperial College."

The Master of the Imperial Academy was relieved. As the saying goes, ignorance is not a crime, and he did not neglect the noble. However, He Feng was so tactless that he actually said that it was against etiquette for the dignified Empress of the Great Zhou to stand outside the Imperial College and take a look. It was really infuriating.

"He Feng, since you've been so outspoken today, I'll punish you by making you copy the Imperial College rules twice more. You must memorize every single one of them. Don't make irresponsible comments about anything in the future, understand?"

He Feng was stunned. He didn't expect that he would be punished for just a few words. He looked at the chief priest in surprise.

"But it's already dark. It's really wrong for Tao Jinan to bring a strange woman to chat outside the Imperial College."

The chief priest did not argue with him any further. He just looked at him meaningfully and left with the teachers.

"Brother Tao, let's go back too. It's quite cold outside and it looks like it will snow tonight." Fang Xuewen wrapped his cotton jacket tightly and pulled He Jinan back. Zhang Jian and the others also left in a hurry. In the end, only He Feng was left standing in the wind sulking.

"Tao Jinan! You must have bribed even the chief priest. You are so shameless!" He Feng kicked the broom fiercely. The road was slippery and he was not careful. He fell to the ground in an instant, and half of his buttocks hurt.

"Ah... Damn it..." He Feng sat in the snow, venting his anger.

As Tao Yanyan was on her way back to the palace, Qingfeng pressed the carriage curtains shut. "Your Majesty, the Second Prince must be constantly being harassed by He Feng in the Imperial College. He's extremely annoyed."

"Did you see it?"

Qingfeng nodded: "The Second Prince usually speaks very gently, but today he was so angry that he directly confronted me. It shows that He Feng is a hateful person and has offended the Second Prince many times."

Tao Yanyan smiled and said, "In one's life, one will meet many people, some good, some bad, some kind, some evil, some villains, and some gentlemen. It's a good thing for Jinan to meet more different people and learn to identify and distinguish people through interactions, and learn how to handle interpersonal relationships. Some people are here to serve as a whetstone for Jinan, and only through this sharpening can he grow."

He Feng was just showing off in words and making some small false accusations behind people's backs. He couldn't be considered a big villain. At most, he was just a disgusting villain. Tao Yanyan didn't want to intervene and let Jin'an handle it himself.

The next day, the Imperial College announced the results early in the morning. All the students' exam results were posted on the bulletin board in front of the academy. Students rushed forward, squeezing through the crowd to see their names.

"Tao Jinan, you are the second place!" Zhang Jian squeezed out from the crowd and congratulated He Jinan.

He Jinan smiled. The first place was too eye-catching, so he deliberately made a mistake on one question to maintain the second or third place.

"Ranked in the top three, not bad." Fang Xuewen patted He Jinan's arm: "It seems that what you and your wife said yesterday was not nonsense. But I didn't do badly either, I ranked 19th. Hahahaha, at this rate, I'm afraid I can take part in the imperial examination next year."

"Come to think of it, we have already learned everything we need to learn. Why not sign up and try next year?" Li Yi looked at Zhang Jian and then at He Jinan.

He Jinan didn't express his opinion. He really wanted to take the exam, but he had to consult his father, the emperor, before he could participate. As a prince, if he took the exam and ranked among the top, it would definitely take up an admission quota, and the court would have one less outstanding talent to select.

"Brother Tao is still young, have you thought about taking the exam in two years?"

They called each other "Brother Tao, Brother Tao", but in reality, He Jinan was two or three years younger than them. The reason they could play together was all because of He Jinan's maturity.

He Jinan shook his head: "If possible, I would also like to take the exam next year. But I have to ask my father and get his opinion."

He Jinan looked respectful, so they thought he might have been brought up in a very strict family and didn't have much say at home, so they didn't ask any more questions.

"He Feng's grades are also good. He actually ranked eighth." Zhang Jian glanced at He Feng who was alone not far away: "He is responsible for cleaning the Imperial College to earn tuition. I think he doesn't spend as much time studying as I do. However, his ranking is higher than mine." Zhang Jian ranked ninth.

Li Yi smiled and said, "I heard that when he was still in Prince Ding's Mansion, he hired several famous teachers to teach him. Not only did he improve his academics, but his chess skills were also quite good. Some people even say that Mr. Shi, the chess saint, was his teacher."

"Mr. Shi? Mr. Shi, who is invincible in the four countries and always one step ahead?" Fang Xuewen asked curiously.

Li nodded: "That's what they said, but I don't know if it's true or not."

He Jinan frowned. Mr. Shi had come to teach before, but he never said that he had accepted He Feng as his disciple?

He decided to ask the master to come and ask him about it after returning to the palace today. Didn't he say that he would only accept him as a closed disciple? To ensure uniqueness and specialization, Master Shi also charged him a high fee for one-on-one teaching.