My name is Wei Qing, and I want to fight the Xiongnu.

To be honest, if Wei Qing can successfully enter the Imperial Academy, the publicity will be huge, though it's hard to say whether it will be positive or negative.

After finishing a chicken leg, Wei Qing casually tossed the bone on the ground.

Littering will be punished if you get caught, but at this point no one has the time or inclination to pursue such a trivial matter.

Wiping the grease from his mouth, Wei Qing turned to look at the nobles. The youngest of these men were in their thirties or fifties, while the oldest were around a hundred years old.

They all lived in the most stable era, many of them did not hold any positions, and had no experience.

From birth, it is destined that as long as one does nothing, one will enjoy endless wealth and honor for the rest of one's life.

Wei Qing said that the sons of noble families had not been beaten by society, which is true, but what he didn't say was that the parents of the sons of noble families had not experienced the beatings of society either.

So even if these people are twenty or thirty years older, or even seventy or eighty years old, they are still as stupid and self-righteous as idiots.

It can only be said that a person's level of knowledge and experience has nothing to do with age.

Wei Qing believed he had a knack for dealing with idiots.

He walked up to Liu Bei and asked, "Brother, we almost forgot about the important matter because of this commotion. Where is the registration place for the Imperial Academy?"

At this point, Liu Bei and Wei Qing were already in the same boat, and Liu Bei didn't regret it.

People need opportunities; without them, no matter how capable they are, they often end up just another ordinary person.

Liu Bei believed he had ability, but his background was too humble.

To escape this predicament, we have to take a gamble.

Give it a try and turn your bicycle into a motorcycle.

If he can overcome this hurdle today, he will have a good chance of returning to the Liu family.

Unlike now, where he is nominally a member of the Liu clan but in reality just a straw sandal seller.

Ignoring the gazes of those around him, Liu Bei strode back to his original spot, righted the overturned table, sat down, picked up a brush, took out a sheet of white paper, and said, “Brother Wei, your name, background, and abilities have all been written down. According to the rules of the Imperial Academy, you still need to fill in a final section stating your purpose for wanting to enter the Imperial Academy.”

"Purpose? Then fill in...to continue the lost learning of the sages and to bring peace to the world."

Wei Qing liked these two sentences. He remembered that in his dream, he had said these words, which were preceded by two more sentences: "To establish a heart for heaven and earth, and to establish a destiny for the people."

However, he is clearly still far from achieving those two points; let him focus on mastering the latter two first.

"To continue the lost learning of the sages and to bring peace to the world? Well said!"

Liu Bei's eyes lit up upon hearing this. He quickly wrote down these two sentences on the paper, then handed the application to Wei Qing, saying, "Just take this application to the instructor at the registration office, and whether it succeeds or not, the instructor at the registration office will give Brother Wei a result."

Hearing the conversation between the two, the nobles who had been so excited and vowed to seek justice for their children suddenly fell silent.

What does that mean? Registration?

Wei Qing had not yet been admitted to the Imperial Academy?

At this moment, Liu Shao coughed lightly and said to the nobles, "Wei Qing has not yet been admitted to the Imperial Academy, so if you want to explain, you should go to the registration office."

It just so happens that the lecturer in charge of the registration office is a proponent of peace. To be precise, apart from the neutral parties and a few pro-war individuals, the majority of people in the Imperial Academy are proponents of peace.

The instructor at the registration desk below the stands looked completely bewildered.

Holy crap, what the hell?

What does this have to do with me?

Shouldn't Wei Qing have already registered and be here to report for duty now?

However, Wei Qing ignored all of that and directly handed the application form to the lecturer at the registration desk: "I, Wei Qing, am registering for the Imperial Academy."

The lecturer looked at the application form in his hand. This was no application form; it was a hand grenade with the pin pulled, the kind that would explode.

The so-called registration office is actually just checking whether there are any problems with the recommendation letters or other documents. If there are no problems with the recommendation letters, the registration is considered successful, but they don't have any real authority.

In this situation, if Wei Qing were to produce his letter of recommendation, would the candidate accept or reject the offer?

Those who are not admitted violate the rules of the Imperial Academy and will be severely punished.

But if we accept them, we'll offend these noble families.

Did Wei Qing kick the ball from Liu Shao's feet directly to his own feet?

But... there's no goal in the world, how am I supposed to shoot?

At this moment, all the nobles, new students, and senior students were staring intently at Wei Qing and the lecturer, seemingly waiting to see how the lecturer would handle the situation.

Wei Qing remained calm and composed; he was used to being the center of attention, whether it was being hated or admired.

But the lecturer was clearly inexperienced with this kind of situation; his hands were trembling, and he could only bite the bullet and ask according to procedure: "Did you bring the letter of recommendation?"

"No, there is no letter of recommendation."

Worried that the lecturer might misunderstand, Wei Qing emphasized again, "I mean, no one is willing to recommend me."

Upon hearing that there was no letter of recommendation, the lecturer breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that there was no letter of recommendation; this way, he wouldn't have to put himself in a difficult position, and he could proceed with the official business as usual.

He handed the application to Wei Qing and said, "I'm sorry, Young Master Wei, but according to the rules of the Imperial Academy, we do not accept applicants without a letter of recommendation. Please return home."

Alright, alright. This way, I won't offend any nobles, nor will I have to worry about violating the rules of the Imperial Academy and being punished.

Just as the lecturer was feeling relieved, Wei Qing did not reach out to take the application: "Wait a minute, I heard that the Imperial Academy was established to recruit and educate the best talents in the world. I wonder if this motto has changed in the nearly four hundred years since its inception?"

Has it been changed? Of course not.

Although people no longer take this saying seriously, as long as Prime Minister Xiao remains the dean, this saying will still be considered the motto of the Imperial Academy.

To deny this point is to deny Xiao Xiangguo's status in the Imperial Academy.

Even though Prime Minister Xiao rarely interferes in the affairs of the Imperial Academy now, as long as he doesn't step down, no one dares to covet his position.

The lecturer's forehead was constantly dripping with sweat; it was so hot that day...

"No...no changes..."

Even if the lecturer's surname was Lü, and even if he was Empress Lü's nephew, he wouldn't dare to give an ambiguous answer to this question in front of everyone.

Wei Qing nodded, pointed to his chest, and asked, "Then do you think I'm a genius?"

Chapter Twenty-Three: Wei Qing's "Aggrieved" Feelings

The lecturer swallowed hard. He wanted to say to Wei Qing: Guess if I think you are a genius?

Unfortunately, Wei Qing didn't intend to guess; he knew that the lecturer was just a tool from beginning to end.

Wei Qing may be domineering, but he has no interest in making things difficult for a mere tool.

Seeing that the lecturer at the registration desk had not responded for a long time, he quickly turned to the lecturers and senior students of the Imperial Academy around him and continued to ask loudly, "Lecturers and senior students, do you think I qualify as a so-called genius?"

A small group of senior students who originally only intended to come and watch the show showed some displeasure upon seeing Wei Qing's arrogant and domineering attitude.

Are you really not afraid of offending people?

Or has it expanded to the point that it can no longer distinguish east from west and north from south?

Do you think that by intimidating the freshmen, you can boss around the upperclassmen?

However, no one spoke up, not because they lacked the ability or the courage, but simply because they were waiting for someone to step forward.

Seeing that no one answered, Wei Qing finally turned to the freshmen and said, "And you guys too!"

Wei Qing pointed at the nobles who had been clamoring and trying to force the Imperial Academy to expel him: "Do you think I, Wei Qing, am a talent, or am I qualified to enter the Imperial Academy?"

Arrogant, Wei Qing was even more arrogant than before.

It was as if they were determined to tear a hole in the sky.

Finally, after who knows how much time had passed, a voice suddenly came from afar.

"You are neither a prodigy nor qualified to enter the Imperial Academy!"

Then everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a middle-aged man striding out from the crowd.

He first bowed to Liu Shao in the stands, then greeted Que Jiafu, and finally gave Liu Yangxin a perfunctory nod.

The older students couldn't help but smile when they saw the middle-aged man.

Still here.

"After beating the younger one, an older one comes along. This is probably a regular occurrence in every department."

"Kong Youde, a lecturer in the sixth-year command department, is waiting for him to arrive."

“His son’s face was slapped hard by the slave he despised the most, and the Xiongnu barbarians he had tried so hard to please had one crippled and one disabled. How could he possibly sit still?”

"Looking down on slaves? Heh, I think this slave has much more backbone than this so-called descendant of Confucius."

The lecturers and senior students were all waiting for this moment. Kong Youde, as a sixth-year lecturer in the Department of Command, was not a high-ranking figure in the Imperial Academy, but he was certainly not low either.

From the moment Wei Qing was able to evoke the spirit of the army, if anyone still dared to deny Wei Qing's talent and ability, only a lecturer or even a supervisor from the command department could do so.

In this situation, Kong Gan's father, Kong Youde, was naturally pushed forward to be the vanguard.

Wei Qing looked at Kong Youde beside him and said quietly, "Whether I am qualified to enter the Imperial Academy is another matter. If I am not a genius, then how can trash like Kong Gan and Dong Kanwu enter the Imperial Academy? Is the Imperial Academy rotten to the core, or have the two of you been hiding your strength all along?"

"If they're hiding their true abilities, that's fine. I can give them another chance. This time, let's not gamble with money, but with admission qualifications, how about that? If I lose, I'll leave right now. If I win, you can publicly expel those good-for-nothings like Kong Gan and Dong Kanwu who are tarnishing the reputation of the Imperial Academy, how about that?"

After listening to Wei Qing's sarcastic remarks, Kong Youde glanced at Wei Qing out of the corner of his eye and said, "Kong Gan and Dong Kanwu are only second-year students, and they have only been in the Imperial Academy for a year. There is a folk saying that 'being fat at first doesn't mean you're fat, but being fat later can be overwhelming.' Being lacking in ability now does not mean that your future talent is limited. Perhaps some people are just slow birds that fly early and take an extra step."

"Pfft, hahahaha."

Wei Qing couldn't help but laugh out loud. Some people are shameless. Not to mention turning black into white, they can even make the dead seem alive: "What this lecturer said is not without reason. There is no shortage of geniuses who achieve great things late in life. I believe Kong Gan is one of them."

However, I, Wei Qing, believe that even if I cannot compare to the late-blooming Kong Gan, I am still barely qualified to enter the Imperial Academy. In that case, perhaps this lecturer could give me a chance, so that I can also prove myself a little?

Kong Youde then turned half his face slightly, looked at Wei Qing, and snorted, "There's no need for proof. If any Tom, Dick, or Harry comes to the Imperial Academy and clamors to prove themselves, then the Imperial Academy can just sit around watching those mediocre people prove themselves all day long."

Upon hearing this, Wei Qing immediately retorted, "So, in the Imperial Academy, if a lecturer thinks a student has no talent, then they simply don't have talent? Can I understand it that way?"

"Naturally...it can't..."

The pro-peace faction is indeed in complete control of the Imperial Academy these days, but some things can be done in private. However, if they are brought into the open, it would be suicidal.

Kong Youde only realized now that Wei Qing, who seemed reckless and arrogant, was actually quite quick-witted.

I almost got caught up in his scheme without even realizing it.

Kong Youde turned to look at the nobles and freshmen, finally took a deep breath, and said in a firm and powerful voice: "The decision that you, Wei Qing, lack talent is not my personal one, but the result of joint discussions within the Command Department. If anyone here has any objections to this decision, you can report it to the Imperial Academy. At that time, the Dean of the Command Department and the various supervisors will appear to give everyone a satisfactory answer."