Catching Monsters

Chapter 586 Student Jiang Yun
Jiang Mansion.

"Husband, I heard that Lord Liu made trouble for you in court today?"

Inside the study, Jiang Yun sat resting while Xu Suwen massaged his shoulders. She frowned slightly and said, "Why is Lord Liu targeting you out of the blue? He's known in the capital as stubborn, unapproachable, and unreasonable."

Jiang Yun patted her hand and said with a smile, "This matter is not entirely Lord Liu's fault. I have great admiration for a true upright official like Lord Liu."

That was indeed Jiang Yun's honest opinion, even though Liu Bufu had presented his own accusations in court today.

But Jiang Yun did not harbor any hatred towards the other party, because Liu Bufu was a truly pure person.

It was only because of the whistleblower's report in their possession, not because of any personal grudge.

However, upon realizing this, Jiang Yun understood that those things were not something Lord Liu could obtain.

If Lord Liu had such supernatural powers, he would have already tormented all the civil and military officials in the capital. Why would he still be waiting for me?
Jiang Yun took a deep breath and slowly expressed his thoughts. After listening, Xu Suwen sat down to the side and quickly said, "Is it His Highness the Crown Prince?"

"Right now, who in the court could gather these things so quickly and also want to deal with me?" Jiang Yun smiled faintly and said, "His Highness the First Prince came to see me one last time."

"The way those civil officials looked at me today was exceptionally warm; they clearly considered me one of their own. They wouldn't possibly try to frame me."

"With Xu Xiaogang around, and myself being the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, no noble military officer dares to mess with me."

After much thought, the only possibility is His Highness the Crown Prince.

After a moment of silence, Xu Suwen asked, "Husband, once this struggle is involved, there is no turning back."

"But when dealing with the Crown Prince, we cannot use assassins; that's the bottom line."

Xu Suwen understood Jiang Yun's personality; he always acted somewhat outrageously. If Jiang Yun really did something like beheading the Crown Prince in a fit of rage, the Jiang family would be finished.

"I'm not that impulsive." Jiang Yun straightened his clothes, thought for a moment, and said, "By the way, isn't Qiaoqiao at Renyi Academy? I've been saying I'd like to visit her, but I haven't had a chance yet. Tomorrow morning, will you come with me to Renyi Academy?"

"Ah." Xu Suwen looked at Jiang Yun with some surprise and couldn't help but say, "Why did you suddenly think of the academy..."

At this point, Xu Suwen paused, as if she understood Jiang Yun's thoughts.

Who is the biggest supporter of the eldest prince, Xiao Jingzhi?

Civil service group.

Why did the civil service support Hsiao Ching-chi?
Because what they believe in is Confucianism and Taoism, and the tradition of primogeniture is a deeply rooted Confucian principle.

The five major academies naturally support the orthodox theory of legitimate heirs.

……

The next morning, a carriage from the Jiang residence slowly drove towards the Renyi Academy.

"Brother, you're finally free today, and you even get to take me to the academy." Jiang Qiaoqiao held two meat pies in her hands, eating them with relish. After enrolling in the academy, Xu Suwen accompanied her to the academy most of the time.

After they became more familiar with each other, Jiang Qiaoqiao would travel alone by carriage. She knew Jiang Yun was busy and felt embarrassed to let him take her.

However, after arriving in the capital, Jiang Yun encountered one problem after another, and she always wanted her brother to spend more time with her.

Xu Suwen smiled and said, "If you like it, as long as your brother is alright, I'll have him give it to you."

Jiang Yun smiled and nodded, then asked, "How is it to study at the academy?"

"Hehe." Jiang Qiaoqiao patted the little black hat on her head and said, "When I first enrolled, the other students weren't very friendly to me."

"Everyone said that a woman should not enter a place of learning about sages. Later, when my sister-in-law found out, she stopped those students who were privately criticizing me and gave them a good talking-to."

Jiang Yun was stunned for a moment, then looked at Xu Suwen beside her: "Is that so? You can lecture people?"

Xu Suwen raised her fist: "I have educated the sons of countless high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital."

Jiang Qiaoqiao chuckled, "Later, when they found out that my sister-in-law was from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, they didn't dare to belittle me anymore. Later, I became a disciple of Master Fang, who taught me a great deal of Confucian knowledge..."

"A while ago, our academy held a calligraphy competition, and I came in third place."

Jiang Yun was slightly taken aback and looked at Xu Suwen with some surprise: "My sister's calligraphy got third place?"

Xu Suwen smiled and nodded, then lowered her voice and whispered to Jiang Yun, "The first place is the nephew of the Minister of Personnel, and the second place is the second son of Prince Rui..."

It's all about connections...

Jiang Yun chuckled: "Then it's not bad that our Qiaoqiao got third place." Jiang Qiaoqiao continued: "I didn't realize it before, but after I started studying, I realized how hard my brother had worked. I realized that studying is really much harder than doing sewing and mending every day."

"When it comes to work, you can just bury your head in your work every day, but when it comes to reading, just looking at those thick books every day gives you a headache."

"Luckily, I'm not stupid, and I can keep up with the teacher's pace."

Along the way, Jiang Qiaoqiao kept telling her older brother about the interesting things she did while reading.

The group arrived at the gate of Renyi Academy.

Although Jiang Yun had visited the Renyi Academy once before, he had flown in directly.

The gate of the Renyi Academy is quite tall, and two characters are written on it: Renyi (仁义).

At this moment, there were quite a few carriages parked outside the academy gate, making it quite lively.

Of course, many of those who could enter the academy were children of powerful and wealthy families, but the majority were truly gifted in their studies and were selected from all over the country.

However, these students from ordinary families usually lived in the dormitories within the academy.

Those who can commute to school generally have good academic backgrounds.

Jiang Yun didn't intend to keep a low profile this time; at the very least, he wanted word to spread that he had visited the academy.

So he led Jiang Qiaoqiao and Xu Suwen directly off the carriage.

In an instant, many eyes turned to Jiang Yun. Jiang Yun's carriage was not cheap; it was part of Xu Suwen's dowry from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

It is even adorned with many gemstones.

It was the most expensive carriage among those that came to the academy.

The eyes of many students instantly fell on them.

"Is that Jiang Qiaoqiao?"

"Her brother is Jiang Yun, the commander of the Eastern Garrison."

"Hmph, just some people from the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"Keep your voice down. See the person next to her? That's probably Jiang Yun, but she's not particularly good-looking..."

The students whispered among themselves as Jiang Yun led Jiang Qiaoqiao and Xu Suwen into the academy.

Soon, the guard at the entrance of the academy came over: "Excuse me, if you are a student's relative, you can just drop them off at the gate, but you cannot go inside."

"Jiang Yun, the Commander of the Eastern Garrison, has come to pay a visit to the esteemed Confucian scholar Fang." Jiang Yun announced loudly, "Please inform him of my arrival."

"Jiang Yun, Commander of the Garrison?"

Upon seeing this, the man paused slightly, said "Wait a moment," and then quickly turned and went inside.

Jiang Yun waited calmly outside the door, a scene witnessed by many students.

Soon, the guard arrived and said respectfully, "Lord Jiang, Master Fang requests your presence."

"Let's go."

Entering the academy, it was not much different from the last time I came, but there were even more students inside, who were lining up to get breakfast in the cafeteria.

Jiang Yunze, Jiang Qiaoqiao, and Xu Suwen went directly to the back of the academy.

Soon, they arrived at a quiet and secluded courtyard.

After the guard led everyone to this place, he withdrew.

Jiang Yun stepped forward and said, "Student Jiang Yun has come to pay respects to the great Confucian scholar Fang."

Jiang Yun had the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations), so he naturally had to address the great Confucian scholar as his student.

The door slowly opened, and Fang Daru opened it himself. After looking at Jiang Yun, he slowly said, "Lord Jiang, coming at this critical juncture is to harm my academy."

(End of this chapter)