Chapter 6

Great Summer Capital.

Western Quarter.

As Gu Jinyu's jade carriage arrived, it naturally drew the curiosity of the people on the street. Once they recognized it as the Gu family's jade carriage, some unfriendly comments began to circulate.

The topics of discussion were not surprising, mostly about the rich being unkind, officials protecting each other, young people not behaving well, and being frivolous and dissolute.

One could say that the original identity had already been labeled, and if not handled properly, the impact would be significant.

In the future, whatever he did would be labeled.

If he did something good, others would say, "What's the big deal about doing a little good? Besides, who knows what unsavory things he does behind closed doors."

Once he made a mistake, there would be a flood of criticism, with people saying, "We knew this person would be like this, we knew from a young age that this person was no good."

It was just like that.

There's a saying that people's prejudices are like a mountain, no matter how hard you try, you can't move it.

This saying is absolutely true.

Public opinion can be overwhelming, and the power of words is terrifying. It's no joke; the sharpest blade in this world is the collective voice of the people.

The comments of the capital's citizens served as a warning bell, constantly reminding Gu Jinyu to be cautious.

If this matter wasn't handled well, it would be troublesome for him.

At this moment,

The steward's voice sounded.

"Young Master, we have arrived at the Wenxin Study Hall."

With the steward's voice, Gu Jinyu snapped out of his thoughts.

He looked up.

The Wenxin Study Hall appeared before his eyes.

At first glance, two mythical beasts stood outside the Wenxin Study Hall: one was the Bai Ze, the king of mythical beasts, known for its wisdom and understanding of human nature; the other was the Blue Ox, the mount of a sage. This was common in most study halls.

The entire Wenxin Study Hall occupied 1,300 acres in the Western Quarter. Although it was near the edge of the Western Quarter, to be able to establish such a study hall in the capital, it was certainly not an ordinary institution.

The head of the Wenxin Study Hall was a highly respected scholar, a student of the Great Summer Academy, and even had a statue in the Great Summer College, enjoying a very high reputation and considered a man of great virtue and prestige.

Gu Jinyu got out of the jade carriage.

A servant came forward to straighten his clothes.

At the entrance of the study hall, there were also some guards. Upon seeing Gu Jinyu's arrival, their expressions changed slightly but quickly returned to normal.

After a brief adjustment of his appearance, Gu Jinyu walked toward the Wenxin Study Hall.

The elite guards followed closely behind.

However, the guards at the entrance of the study hall soon stopped them.

"Greetings, Young Master."

"The study hall has rules; guards are not allowed to enter."

"We hope for your understanding."

The study hall guards bowed their heads, their faces full of awkward smiles as they spoke.

They were just guards and didn't dare to provoke the Young Master, but the rules were there, and they couldn't disobey them.

However, the steward's voice rang out.

"The Young Master encountered great danger in the study hall a few days ago. These guards were personally arranged by the Duke of the State."

"You failed to protect the Young Master, and the Duke didn't blame you. Now you dare to obstruct him here?"

The steward's voice was not loud, but it was filled with authority.

He stared at the study hall guards, his eyes cold.

There was nothing wrong with what he said. Gu Jinyu had almost drowned a few days ago, so bringing a few guards was not a problem.

"This...?"

The guards were silent. Those who could work here were not stupid.

But at that moment, a voice suddenly sounded.

"What a big mouth."

"Which Duke has such power that he doesn't even respect the Wenxin Study Hall?"

"Truly impressive."

As the voice sounded,

A middle-aged scholar appeared not far from the entrance, holding a scroll, seemingly passing by or deliberately appearing.

His words were filled with sarcasm and coldness.

"Greetings, Master Zhou."

Instantly, all the guards bowed to the middle-aged scholar.

Even the steward, upon seeing this person, frowned slightly.

This was Zhou Ning, a talented disciple of the Minister of Rites and one of the teachers at the Wenxin Study Hall. At the age of forty, he could serve as a teacher at the Wenxin Study Hall, which was no small feat.

His sudden appearance was clearly due to the previous incident.

After all, he was a disciple of the Minister of Rites, and it was reasonable for him to stand up for his teacher.

"Master Zhou, your words are a bit harsh. The Duke is just concerned about the Young Master's safety."

The steward did not make a fuss but still had to argue a bit.

"Oh, so you are the Young Master of the Duke of the State."

"Then there's no problem."

"The Duke of the State has always been upright and has made great contributions to the Great Summer, truly a role model for us scholars."

"However, rules are rules. Please convey to the Duke that the study hall has its own rules, and we hope for your understanding."

Zhou Ning's voice sounded.

He praised the Duke of the State, but the underlying meaning was clear: the Duke of the State was upright and loyal, but Gu Jinyu was not. He would let others pass, but not Gu Jinyu.

"Alright."

"Steward Wang, you can guard outside the study hall. It's not a dragon's lair or a tiger's den."

"I am here to study, not to argue."

"It's getting late. If we delay any longer, it will be said that I don't follow the rules."

At a critical moment, Gu Jinyu's voice sounded.

He did not argue with Zhou Ning.

Especially at the entrance of the study hall, with people coming and going, if they continued to argue, it would only lead to more gossip.

This was unnecessary.

In a critical period, it was best not to cause trouble, or one issue would lead to another.

But Gu Jinyu had already taken note of Zhou Ning.

This guy had a problem.

He came to cause trouble without fully understanding the situation, just to show off, right?

Fine, time is on my side, no need to rush.

Inside the study hall, seeing Gu Jinyu bow his head, Zhou Ning's expression didn't change much, but he slowly spoke, reminding the guards.

"The rules of the study hall must not be violated, whether by a Duke or a Prince. The sanctuary of scholars must not be tainted by any impurity."

His words were filled with sarcasm.

This made Gu Jinyu somewhat annoyed.

Saying a few words was one thing, but now he was getting too cocky.

Was he really giving him face?

"Huh."

"Master, you are absolutely right. The most important thing for a scholar is to uphold justice. A gentleman is firm and unyielding, not afraid of power. Unfortunately, during the Jiande Incident, there were no loyal ministers like you. If there were, tsk tsk, there wouldn't be so many problems now."

His voice sounded, filled with sarcasm.

The meaning of Gu Jinyu's words was simple: if you were so principled, why didn't you die with the others during the Jiande Incident?

The Minister of Rites was a former official, and although Zhou Ning was not, he had benefited from the previous dynasty. If he were truly principled, he would have died with them.

Talking about righteousness and morality, but not standing up at critical moments?

Indeed.

When these words were spoken, both the steward and Zhou Ning's expressions changed.

The steward was somewhat shocked, thinking Gu Jinyu had gone too far.

Zhou Ning was purely angry.

The problem was that he didn't know how to respond, because Gu Jinyu was right. During the Jiande Incident, the truly loyal scholars had died, refusing to surrender.

Those who survived couldn't be said to be completely afraid of death, but they were certainly criticized.

By bringing this up, Gu Jinyu left Zhou Ning speechless.

"You understand nothing?"

After a long silence, Zhou Ning could only clench his fists and angrily shout an irrelevant phrase.

"Ah, yes, yes."

"I don't understand, I don't understand. Master understands, Master understands, Master understands the most."

"I'll tell my grandfather tomorrow that the Minister of Rites is old and senile, no longer fit for his position, and that Master should take over."

"With someone like Master Zhou in charge of the Ministry of Rites, everyone in the Great Summer will be like dragons, all upright and noble gentlemen."

"Steward Wang, pass the word. Master Zhou has comprehended the way of the gentleman and the teachings of Confucianism. He will become a sage tomorrow. Prepare everyone, and have the Minister of Rites resign quickly. At his age, he should step down and give young people a chance."

"Truly, old and useless."

Gu Jinyu nodded repeatedly, praising Zhou Ning and directly mocking the Minister of Rites.

This made Zhou Ning dizzy with anger.

He had just passed by to teach Gu Jinyu a lesson, but didn't expect to be mocked in such a sarcastic way.

"You insolent brat."

Instantly, Zhou Ning shouted, clearly angry.

"Arrogant."

Instantly, Gu Jinyu's gaze turned cold, and he shouted two words with great authority.

Clang, clang, clang.

At the same time, twelve elite guards of the Gu family drew their swords, their iron armor hiding a chilling killing intent.

Faced with the terrifying killing intent,

Zhou Ning's momentum was instantly broken, fear flashing in his eyes, though he quickly concealed it.

"Stop it."

"It's almost time for the morning class."

"Young Master, you should go study first."

A voice sounded.

It was an old man in a green and orange scholar's robe, the chief teacher of the Wenxin Study Hall, who held a much higher position than Zhou Ning.

His appearance broke the deadlock.

However, the old man did not scold Gu Jinyu or Zhou Ning. Instead, he spoke calmly, informing Gu Jinyu that the morning class was about to start and suggesting he go study first, giving both sides a way out.

"Student greets Master Lu."

Seeing the chief teacher appear, Gu Jinyu slightly composed himself, bowed to the old man, and then looked at Zhou Ning.

"I am ultimately the Young Master. Calling you Master when I enter the study hall is a sign of respect for the teachings, not out of fear."

"If you dare to speak out of turn again, don't say the Minister of Rites, no one in the entire court will dare to protect you."

With these words, Gu Jinyu walked into the study hall, ignoring the man.

However, just as Gu Jinyu was about to leave,

A black aura flew out of Zhou Ning's body and quickly entered his own body.

"What's happening?"

Gu Jinyu was startled, stepping back a few steps and frowning as he looked at Zhou Ning.

Zhou Ning's face was dark, but he showed no other expression.

Looking at the steward and others, they showed no reaction, only curiosity at his sudden pause.

Before Gu Jinyu could think further, a scene appeared in his mind.

An ancient tree towered, and a black aura entered the first branch on the left, like nourishment, and instantly a fruit appeared.

The fruit was small, even tiny, like a fingernail.

What's going on?

Gu Jinyu was filled with curiosity.

He didn't know the purpose of the ancient tree in his mind and planned to study it further when he had time.

But he didn't expect such a thing to happen suddenly.

"Young Master, what's the matter?"

At this moment, the steward's voice sounded, his eyes full of curiosity.

Clearly, he hadn't seen anything, and neither had the others, or their reactions would have been different.

"Nothing."

Gu Jinyu shook his head. He didn't know what the ancient tree was, but he knew he couldn't talk about it, as it could easily cause trouble.

Thus, with his doubts, Gu Jinyu walked into the study hall.