Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

"Li Shun didn't eat the braised pork ribs," Shen Qing said calmly.

"What?"

"Li Shun only asked me for a bowl of sauce."

Zhou Wentong was full of doubt, but Shen Qing finished speaking in a calm voice, put down the spoon he was using to scoop out bones, and walked straight toward the academy.

"Madam Shen??" he couldn't help but call out, and quickly followed behind.

Other diners, while gnawing on bones, crowded closer to the academy, straining their ears to listen, eager to know what was going on.

Master Zheng was eating a steamed bun in the kitchen, and the students were also in the kitchen, eating a steamed bun and a side of pickled vegetables.

Although it tasted terrible, they had no other choice.

The master was furious, and they dared not defy the rules any longer.

After all, Li Shun serves as a cautionary tale.

After years of hard study, everyone hopes to achieve academic success and no one wants to end up like Li Shun.

Everyone was afraid, and no one dared to plead for Li Shun.

Just then, footsteps suddenly came from the doorway.

When everyone looked up, they saw that it was Shen Qing, who sold braised pork ribs.

Oh no, is Madam Shen here to complain?

Oh no, it's all over. Is she going to tell the teacher about her sneaking food yesterday?

Oh no, what should we do? What should we do? The Master will be furious if he finds out.

Will they be expelled from the academy too?

The students all stopped eating their steamed buns, their hearts churning with fear, and beads of cold sweat even appeared on their foreheads.

No one dared to speak.

Master Zheng raised his head, saw Shen Qing, and frowned: "How dare a woman like you set foot in such a sacred place as the academy? Especially a woman who's showing her face in public to set up a stall, don't you feel ashamed?"

"I make a living with my culinary skills. I live an upright and honest life with a clear conscience. Naturally, I have no feelings of inferiority or self-deprecation. As for what the Master said about being shameful, that is utter nonsense."

Shen Qing spoke with neither arrogance nor servility; his voice was cold yet firm, inexplicably inspiring a sense of conviction.

"Confucius said that the academy is a sacred place, and I do not deny that. However, why can't women set foot in the academy? You all have mothers and sisters. Do you also feel that your mothers and sisters are inherently inferior? Moreover, Confucius also said that education should be provided to all without discrimination."

Master Zheng was rendered speechless by the rebuttal. Pointing at Shen Qing, he finally managed to utter, "Women and petty men are the most difficult to deal with!"

"Master, you are in the wrong and cannot argue with me, so you can only misinterpret the meaning of this sentence, trying to stand on the moral high ground to insult me. Master Zheng knows perfectly well what Confucius meant by this sentence, so I don't need to explain it to you."

Women and petty men are the most difficult to deal with; if you get too close to them, they become disrespectful, and if you keep your distance, they become resentful.

The term "women" here does not refer to all women in the world, but rather to the emperor's favored concubines, while "sycophants" refers to the emperor's treacherous ministers.

Having studied the classics for many years, Master Zheng naturally knew this explanation.

He had just said it casually, but he didn't expect Shen Qing to seize on this mistake.

"you--"

"you--"

Master Zheng's face turned bright red; he had completely lost face in front of so many students.

"Sharp-tongued!" he exclaimed angrily, blowing his beard and glaring.

Shen Qing smiled faintly: "Thank you for the compliment, Master."

Then he changed the subject: "I have come here today not to argue with you, but because there is a wrongful case that I cannot ignore."

"What?" Master Zheng's eyebrows shot up.

"Li Shun did not eat my braised pork ribs yesterday. I only gave him a bowl of the leftover sauce from yesterday. I know that students study hard, so I came to explain. I hope that you can handle this fairly and not wrong Li Shun."

Shen Qing said firmly.

Food should bring joy and happiness, not such painful and irreversible consequences.

Moreover, for Li Shun, such consequences were far too severe and entirely unacceptable.

Reading, understanding principles, self-cultivation, and governing a country are not contradictory to enjoying delicious food.

Suffering is not the only fertile ground for nurturing outstanding talents.

Master Zheng snorted coldly, thinking he had found Shen Qing's weakness: "So you came for Li Shun? Do you think I should believe you just because you say so? How can it not be that the two of you are colluding?"

He put his hands behind his back, his expression carrying a hint of arrogance.

"If you want to plead for Li Shun, you should take your stall and leave as soon as possible, and never set up a stall in front of the academy again. If you do, I might be able to make an exception for you."

"Furthermore, if you hadn't been selling food in front of the academy, Li Shun wouldn't have come into contact with either the braised pork ribs or the sauce, and his clothes wouldn't have gotten dirty. In the end, all this trouble is because of you!"

It was obvious that Master Zheng wanted to take this opportunity to drive Shen Qing away, to thwart her plan to set up a stall at the academy gate, so that she wouldn't have to see her anymore.

It wasn't just because he didn't want the students to be distracted by the delicious food, but also because he himself was slightly tempted and wanted to go out and taste the braised pork ribs.

This wavering is even more evident today.

The smell outside the academy was novel and overpowering; he had never smelled it before, and it was even somewhat strange and addictive.

This feeling of being out of control terrified him, forcing him to find ways to get rid of Shen Qing's stall, to get rid of that domineering feeling, and at the same time, to get rid of the wavering in his heart.

Unexpectedly, Shen Qing remained neither humble nor arrogant: "I did nothing wrong, and I will not give up setting up a stall at the academy gate. As for Li Shun's matter, I have done everything I could. Telling you the truth has relieved me of any burden. I have done what I could. The one who knew the truth but still wronged him and caused him to lose his chance to take the imperial examination is you, Master."

"I wonder if the Master can bear this blame?"

These words left Master Zheng speechless. His aged face turned red with embarrassment, and a hint of regret showed in his eyes. However, he was too proud to back down.

He felt that his authority as a teacher had been seriously challenged. If he were to lose today, how would he establish his authority in front of his students in the future?

Master Zheng was caught in a dilemma, and coupled with his intense anger and frustration, his body began to tremble.

Just then, a series of voices rang out:

"Master, please spare Li Shun."

"That's right, Master, he really didn't eat the braised pork bones."

"Master, I saw it all. Li Shun really only ate a bowl of sauce."

"..."

The students all spoke up for Li Shun, some even kneeling on the ground, begging Master Zheng to give Li Shun another chance.

If a complete stranger like Shen Niangzi could treat Li Shun so well, how could they, as classmates, just stand by and watch Li Shun lose the opportunity to study?