Villain: After I died, all the heroines cried themselves to sleep.

Tang Ning and the others escorted the delinquent youths to see the Master.

The Master looked at Tang Ning, who was standing tall and proud, and then at Tang Tong, who looked like a defeated rooster. After listening to Tang Ning's account of what had happened, he felt quite helpless.

On one side was Ma Fujun, and on the other was Anlingjun; both were members of the Tang imperial family.

There was also Zhuang Ji, Gongsun Zheng's adoptive mother, who was also the younger sister of the Tang King.

After much deliberation, Confucius could only choose to compromise and downplay the seriousness of the matter.

A gentleman seeks harmony but not uniformity.

He spoke slowly, reprimanding the delinquent youths.

"You and Young Master Gongsun are all students of the academy. Even if Young Master Gongsun is from Liang, you should live in harmony with him, not bully him and take advantage of your strength. Is this the behavior of a gentleman?"

"Do we bully the weak?"

Tang Tong pointed to his pig's head and complained bitterly to the teacher.

"Master, look at our faces! It's clearly Little Gongsun bullying us! He's relentlessly attacking us with his sword, refusing to stop no matter how much we beg for mercy, and he's beaten us terribly..."

At this emotional moment, one of the delinquents behind him couldn't help but cry.

"Brother Tang Tong is right."

At this moment, Gongsun Zheng stepped forward.

He lowered his head, fidgeted with his fingers, and sincerely apologized to the teacher.

"My fellow students said I lacked masculinity, so they brought me to the peach grove and challenged me to a sword fight. I acted impulsively and accidentally injured them. It was all my fault. Please punish me, Master."

"Young Master, don't be afraid of them. Cover for them!"

Tang Ning raised her eyebrows, pulled Gongsun Zheng behind her, and then loudly rebuked Tang Tong.

"Tang Tong, you're a complete liar! Little Gongsun is so frail, how could he possibly bully you? It's clearly a frame-up; you deliberately fought amongst yourselves and then pinned the blame on Little Gongsun!"

"I...I..."

Tang Tong was unable to defend himself.

He looked around at the students and noticed that they all had strange expressions on their faces.

Even the Master shook his head, his gaze towards them carrying a hint of reproach.

It's obvious they don't believe what he said.

After all, Little Gongsun has always been well-behaved and adorable, and is only ever bullied. How could he possibly bully others in return?

Tang Tong's words were full of errors and omissions.

"No... I... I wasn't lying, everything I said is true..."

"Yes, what you said is true."

Gongsun Zheng nodded innocently, defending Tang Tong.

He glanced at Tang Tong discreetly, their eyes meeting, and he smiled shyly.

To others, it looked like a gesture of goodwill.

But Tang Tong clearly felt that it was a blatant mockery.

"I...I'll kill you!"

Tang Tong, enraged, lunged forward.

However, before he could get close to Gongsun Zheng, Tang Ning had already stepped in front of him.

"What do you want to do!"

"That's enough!"

The Master coldly interrupted the argument between the two sides.

He stared at the group of delinquents led by Tang Tong with a gloomy face.

"The academy is not a place for your private feuds. The gentlemen of the Tang family, as well as you, should thank the frightened young master."

"I didn't do anything wrong, so why should I thank you?"

Tang Tong still wanted to argue.

"If you think my handling of the matter is wrong, then I can only ask Lord Ma Fu to make the final decision."

"..."

Tang Tong was speechless.

He glanced at Gongsun Zheng, who was hiding behind Tang Ning with an innocent look on his face. After struggling with his conscience for a long time, he finally led the other delinquents and dejectedly apologized to Gongsun Zheng.

Gongsun Zheng generously forgave them.

"No need for such formalities, fellow students. Friends are sincere and close, brothers are friendly and harmonious. We should stay in touch and get along well in the future."

"Young Master Gongsun is truly a virtuous gentleman, and can be called a scholar."

The Master nodded appreciatively.

Tang Tong felt extremely aggrieved upon hearing Gongsun Zheng's words.

So she burst into tears on the spot.

The final private duel at the academy ended with Tang Tong and others apologizing to Gongsun Zheng.

As Gongsun Zheng watched Tang Tong's dejected departure, he was somewhat worried that the other party might never recover from this setback.

It would be bad if it affected the other party's future chance to become a general of the Tang Dynasty.

"Little grandson, you'd better be more careful next time, so you don't get bullied by others again."

Unaware of the truth, Tang Ning was still righteously lecturing Gongsun Zheng.

Gongsun Zheng responded with a sweet smile.

"I understand. Thank you, Senior Tang Ning. Your courage in speaking up for justice is just like that of a chivalrous heroine."

"No need to be so polite, just call me sister. If Tang Tong ever dares to bully you again, just tell your sister, and she will definitely stand up for you!"

Tang Ning was overjoyed and couldn't help but rub Gongsun Zheng's head.

Gongsun Zheng's lips curled up slightly.

My face is so useful.

Because he looks harmless, no one will suspect him even if he does something bad.

[Gongsun Zheng, having gained an advantage, still acted innocent. Having tasted the sweetness of using his charm for personal gain for the first time, the greed and ambition hidden deep within him began to surface. Shamelessly, he conceived the evil desire to commit misdeeds within the academy.]

[Objective: To appear docile in public, befriend Tang Ning, and then plot against Tang Tong behind her back.]

[Rewards: Improved reputation for conquering nine kingdoms and establishing dominance over the world; improved reputation for gathering beauties and treasures from ten kingdoms.]

[Punishment: The evaluation for conquering nine kingdoms and establishing dominance over the world will be lowered; the evaluation for gathering beauties and treasures from ten kingdoms will also be lowered.]

[■■ is still an honest and kind person! ——Skull King Highway]

……

Back at the manor, Zhuang Ji and Xia Ji asked Gongsun Zheng how he was doing at the academy.

Gongsun Zheng did not mention the private duel, only saying that he practiced swordsmanship with Tang Tong and others and had a lot of fun.

"When I grow up and become a man, a true gentleman, then I will protect my mother!"

"Zheng'er..."

When Zhuang Ji and Xia Ji saw Gongsun Zheng adorably waving his little fists, they hugged him tightly with tears in their eyes.

"As long as Zheng'er is safe and sound, I don't care what happens to me."

"Mother, don't cry..."

Gongsun Zheng feigned concern and reached out to gently wipe away the tears from the corners of Zhuang Ji and Xia Ji's eyes.

He then told the two about Tang Ning, saying that he had met a righteous and awe-inspiring older sister who promised to take care of him at the academy.

To everyone's surprise, Zhuang Ji and Xia Ji frowned after hearing this.

"Tang Ning is the youngest daughter of my brother, Lord Anling. She's always wielding swords and knives. Zheng'er, be careful not to let her corrupt you."

"Zheng'er, you are innocent and kind, unaware of the dangers of the world. It's best to keep your distance from people."

"Don't worry, Mother, Zheng'er won't be fooled..."

Gongsun Zheng forced a smile.

The two people's reactions were completely different from what he had expected.

Are my two mothers spoiling me too much...?

……

In the days that followed, Gongsun Zheng's life gradually became more stable.

The academy's courses were not intensive, and Gongsun Zheng often spent his time at his residence.

Every day he would pay his respects to Consort Zhuang and Consort Xia, and then spend time with them, or play and frolic with the maids in the courtyard.

Based on his experience, regardless of whether it's useful or not, it's never a bad thing to max out the favorability rating first.

Once he arrived at the academy, Gongsun Zheng's mundane daily life finally became a little more enjoyable.

Despite the private fight, Tang Tong did not become discouraged. Instead, he returned to the academy as usual and continued to gather other delinquent youths, single-mindedly plotting revenge against Gongsun Zheng.

Unfortunately, none of their actions escaped Gongsun Zheng's notice.

Gongsun Zheng always played along, falling into their traps, and when they thought they had succeeded, he suddenly reversed the situation and ruthlessly beat them to a pulp.

When Tang Ning and the others arrived, Gongsun Zheng changed his tune again, pretending to be an innocent victim.

As expected, Tang Tong and the others were punished by the Master again.

Gongsun Zheng, on the other hand, was completely unharmed.

On the contrary, his relationship with Tang Ning grew better and better, and she often dragged him to play together, saying that she would teach him swordsmanship for self-defense.

Seeing that Tang Ning was in high spirits, Gongsun Zheng felt it would be difficult to refuse her kindness.

He had no choice but to pretend to practice swordsmanship with the other party.

As a result, Tang Ning became more and more engrossed in the practice, and eventually even pestered Gongsun Zheng to spar with her every day.

One day, Gongsun Zheng grew so fed up that he hid in the primary school library of the academy to write a letter to Zhao Ji, who was far away in the Liang Kingdom.

But when he arrived at the library, he found that someone had already gotten there first.