Bai Suzhen, I really need to punish you properly.

Li Rusong and Zhu Yingtai bowed to Wang Xuan in unison, then turned and walked down the steps.

Wang Xuan then raised his hand, beckoned Li Gongfu, and whispered a few instructions.

On the other side, Zhu Yingtai bowed to Li Rusong, then pointed to a spot not far away and said in a clear voice, "Master, I'll go help over there first."

Even now, when she's not in Wang Xuan's presence, Zhu Yingtai still habitually addresses the dean as "Master".

Over there, a group of young students dressed in Confucian robes were busy at work, all of them covered in sweat and their clothes were stained. They had lost all trace of their usual gentle and refined manners.

They were naturally not qualified to do the delicate work of cooking.

They were doing purely manual labor.

For example, scaling fish, removing mucus, and removing internal organs.

And what we're doing right now is cutting the fish fillets.

The knife is almost dull from cutting.

My arms were sore, swollen, and numb; I could barely lift them.

The catfish was so big that even when divided among the students, the task was still quite heavy.

Scholars are useless; if the yamen runners hadn't roughly cut the giant catfish open beforehand, they probably wouldn't have known how to even begin.

They usually pride themselves on being disciples of sages, never lifting a finger or knowing the difference between grains, and have never done such dirty or tiring work before.

Even Liang Shanbo, though from a poor family, still had servants at home.

After all, ordinary families couldn't afford to send their children to academies.

Even though everyone was exhausted and their bodies were weak, they dared not stop easily under the supervision of the yamen runners, because no one wanted to end up like that unlucky guy who had his academic titles revoked.

"I will go with you."

Under Zhu Yingtai's surprised gaze, Li Rusong slowly explained, "To be fond of learning is close to wisdom, and to practice what one preaches is close to benevolence. Magistrate Wang is right. We scholars should not be aloof and superior, but should humble ourselves and practice what we preach. As the dean, I should stand with you."

Zhu Yingtai immediately bowed deeply: "This student has learned a great deal."

The two walked into the busy students.

"The Master has arrived!"

A sharp-eyed student noticed it first, and the other students turned to look and then bowed.

Li Rusong waved his hand: "No need for formalities. I'm just here to help. You can all continue."

After saying that, he picked up a kitchen knife and joined the others in cutting the fish.

When Liang Shanbo saw Zhu Yingtai return, he immediately went over and asked, "Brother Zhu, are you alright?"

Zhu Yingtai gently shook her head and politely replied, "It's nothing."

"Has the magistrate ever...?"

Li Gongfu had just returned from Wang Xuan's place when he saw this scene and immediately shouted, "The people are all waiting, but you're just chatting and slacking off. Xiao Zhao, give him another pile of fish and meat."

Although he didn't understand why Wang Xuan was targeting this scholar, as his subordinate, he simply did as he was told.

Everyone looked at Liang Shanbo, who immediately felt ashamed and knew he was in the wrong, so he had no choice but to go back to work.

The group of people were busy for who knows how long.

The properly cut fish fillets were continuously added to the pot to simmer.

Catfish has thick, tender flesh with a rich, savory flavor and an enticing aroma.

People had heard early on that the county government was distributing fish soup for free, and they came in droves, forming more than a dozen long queues to wait.

This fish, as large as a house, was something no one had ever seen before, and everyone wanted to come and see it for themselves.

They weren't surprised that Wang Xuan had caught such a huge catfish.

Everyone was used to the endless stream of strange things happening to Wang Xuan; there had even been a fairy from heaven who came to see the magistrate before.

The students, smelling the enticing aroma and feeling extremely hungry, finally couldn't hold on any longer and said, "Brother Constable, can we take a break?"

Li Gongfu nodded: "Then let's rest here for a while."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground, completely disregarding their image, even in front of the teacher.

Li Rusong did not criticize him. He looked at Zhu Yingtai beside him and instructed her, "Yingtai, take a bowl of fish soup to the magistrate as a token of apology on behalf of everyone in the academy."

Having talent is not as good as having a mentor.

Since Wang Xuan appreciates Zhu Yingtai, Zhu Yingtai should naturally reciprocate in kind.

This will make the road ahead smoother.

Zhu Yingtai got up and found Li Gongfu, asking, "Brother Constable, may I deliver a bowl to the magistrate?"

Li Gongfu did not refuse: "Go ahead."

Wang Xuan gave Li Gongfu two instructions: one was to target Liang Shanbo, and the other was to treat Zhu Yingtai well.

Li Gongfu couldn't help but imagine: this student was slender, handsome, and had fair skin. Could it be that the master liked this type...?

Just as Liang Shanbo was about to set off to inquire about Zhu Yingtai, he saw her walk away and had no choice but to stop silently.

Wang Xuan was enjoying a delicious fish soup with his wives when he received the report. He went out of the backyard alone and went to Tuisi Hall.

Zhu Yingtai was holding a bowl of fresh fish soup.

"My lord, this is freshly made fish soup. I brought it here especially for you to enjoy."

Wang Xuan said calmly, "My wives and I have already eaten, so you can eat this bowl yourself."

Li Gongfu was certainly aware of this basic social etiquette, and immediately sent someone to deliver it.

"No, no, no, the students aren't hungry."

Zhu Yingtai waved her hand to decline, but her stomach growled inappropriately.

Wang Xuan chuckled: "Eat up, I'm worried you'll drool into your bowl."

Zhu Yingtai's cheeks flushed, but she still insisted on explaining, "I didn't drool. This fish soup was specially prepared for you, how could I have eaten it without permission?"

"Sit down." Wang Xuan frowned slightly, feigning displeasure: "I hate this kind of passing the buck. It's not like it's anything precious."

"Thank you, sir." Zhu Yingtai had no choice but to sit down and sip the fish soup slowly.

Looking at her leisurely and deliberate manner, she had the air of a well-bred lady.

Since she had come to him again, Wang Xuan couldn't resist the urge to tease her, so he walked up to her.

"I only slapped your palm once earlier, do you know why?"

Zhu Yingtai put down her chopsticks and asked blankly, "Why?"

"Although you are timid by nature, you are exceptionally responsible." Wang Xuan patted Zhu Yingtai's shoulder and smiled meaningfully, "If anyone in your academy is still dissatisfied with the government's actions in private, slanders them, or even instigates others, you know what to do, right?"

Zhu Yingtai retorted, "So I... contradict them?"

Wang Xuan's face darkened, and he slapped her on the back of the head: "Are you playing dumb with me? Of course you told me. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't care even if you insulted me in private, but in special times, I can't just ignore it."

Zhu Yingtai frowned, looking troubled: "This..."

She is a loyal girl; otherwise, she wouldn't have stood up for her classmate earlier. She really didn't want to betray her classmate.

If word gets out, how will she ever face anyone again?

Wang Xuan softened his tone, as if he had expected this, and smiled gently: "If you are unwilling, I will not make things difficult for you."

"Really?"

Wang Xuan sneered, "However, the twenty strokes of the can't be omitted. You can choose for yourself."

Zhu Yingtai hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and made up her mind, her voice trembling slightly: "Then... then alright."

Wang Xuan patted her shoulder with satisfaction, his tone full of admiration: "Not bad, a wise person knows when to yield."

Zhu Yingtai stood up straight, gripped her sleeves tightly, and asked nervously, "Is a ruler used to punish students?"

Wang Xuan: ? ? ?

Wang Xuan raised an eyebrow slightly: "Do you really think that just because I admire you, I won't punish you?"

Zhu Yingtai's gaze was firm, her voice trembled slightly, but every word was clear: "I am unwilling to privately denounce my classmates, as this goes against the bond of friendship. I am willing to accept the punishment without a single complaint."

"Very well, I really must punish you properly."