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

Kong Youde was taken away by the Imperial Academy's enforcement team on two charges: one was settling a personal score, and the other was forging an order.

These two charges, while not insignificant, are nothing compared to offending Chancellor Cao.

Considering that Kong Youde was backed by the pro-peace faction of the Imperial Academy, and that he was pushed out as a scapegoat, he would not be severely punished, but his future opportunities to advance were completely cut off.

Watching Kong Youde's desolate figure as he was led away, Wei Qing felt a pang of sadness. So, he kindly reminded him, "Don't forget that your son owes me 150,000 gold coins. I'm still waiting for that money to pay his tuition!"

Upon hearing Wei Qing's reminder, Kong Youde felt his blood rush to his head, his vision blurred, and he turned to Wei Qing through gritted teeth, shouting, "Wei Qing!!!"

In contrast, Wei Qing's expression was quite innocent.

Oh, your pathetic, furious state is just as shameful as your son's.

He never took Kong Youde seriously. Kong Youde was a useless piece of trash who was being used as a pawn, yet he still had the nerve to jump around in front of him.

What the hell are you doing?

After seeing Kong Youde off, Wei Qing glanced at the nobles and students present and let out a disdainful snort.

On the contrary, when looking at Cao Ying, the husky, I couldn't help but give her a thumbs up.

Bro, that was a great team play.

Without Cao Ying's cooperation, the Imperial Academy would not have compromised so easily.

Of course, on the other hand, it's true that Cao Ying was forcing the Imperial Academy to compromise, but he wasn't entirely putting on an act. If the Imperial Academy were determined to resist to the death, he would really go to the Empress Dowager to plead for his life.

Upon seeing Wei Qing's affirmation, Cao Ying's lips curled up slightly.

A smirk.

Cao Ying, who had returned from climbing the snowy mountain on his white lion, walked to the gate of the Imperial Academy, pointed inside, and sneered, "It is true that the Imperial Academy is a place for learning and seeking knowledge, but don't forget that the Imperial Academy belongs to the Han Dynasty, not to any particular person!"

When His Majesty conferred the title, he promised that the Marquis of Pingyang would share the fate of the nation. Since the Han Dynasty is still alive, it is not up to a bunch of nobodies to ride on my great-grandfather's head and piss on him!

This matter is not over yet. If the Imperial Academy cannot give the Marquis of Pingyang's residence a satisfactory answer, I will ask my great-grandfather to come and demand it from Prime Minister Xiao in person!

Not long after Cao Ying finished his threat, the old and deep voice rang out again: "I will not disappoint Marquis Pingyang."

The Imperial Academy's attitude was also clear: when dealing with a husky like Cao Ying, it was best to go along with her as much as possible.

It's not that I'm afraid of him, but there's no need to be.

Even if he really suppresses him, at most he will just be one less troublemaker. Someone of Cao Ying's status, what can he really do to him?

Moreover, if you step on it and don't step on it correctly, you'll end up like today, with your foot covered in dog poop.

Having received the promise, Cao Ying jumped off his mount and asked the Imperial Academy, "So, should we still hold Wei Qing's exam? Let me make it clear to everyone first: I'm not standing up for Wei Qing, nor am I recommending him for the Imperial Academy."

I, Cao Ying, am merely following my great-grandfather's wishes to give Wei Qing a chance to be assessed.

If he succeeds in the assessment, he will be admitted according to the academy's motto, which is his ability; conversely, if he fails the assessment, he is useless and failed to seize the opportunity.

As for the Imperial Academy admitting him without any examination, that's your own business. In short, it has nothing to do with the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion. I hope everyone here can bear witness to that.

If I hear anything back that the Marquis of Pingyang's household abused its power by forcibly placing its own useless member into the Imperial Academy, don't blame me for reporting them to the Court of Justice for defamation.

Wei Qing chuckled.

He discovered that Cao Ying really had a sharp tongue.

It's fortunate that he had Cao Shen as his great-grandfather; otherwise, with his mouth, he would probably have been beaten to death long ago.

The nobles below, hearing Cao Ying's sarcastic remarks, were speechless with bitterness.

Who knew that although Cao Ying seemed unreliable, she was actually quite talented.

Over the years, Cao Shen has fed him plenty of rare and precious herbs, so it's true that he's been pampered. However, Cao Ying also loves hunting and has suffered a lot while hunting in the wilderness.

Even disregarding the Marquis of Pingyang's status, his own abilities alone are enough to get him into the Imperial Academy.

In contrast, some of the new students present... were admitted to the Imperial Academy entirely through their families' connections.

I've been subjected to sarcastic remarks, but I can't vent my anger yet.

If they jump out at this point, wouldn't that be tantamount to admitting that their own children are useless?

Although, it really is quite useless.

The Imperial Academy fell into a long silence, seemingly discussing how to deal with Wei Qing.

Without a reason, it was clearly impossible to expel Wei Qing from the Imperial Academy.

Whether it was the academy motto established by Prime Minister Xiao or Prime Minister Cao's discerning eye for talent, they were two insurmountable obstacles.

The only way to exclude Wei Qing was through "open and aboveboard" means, such as claiming that Wei Qing failed the assessment.

But given Wei Qing's demonstrated talent and ability, what kind of assessment would be necessary to eliminate him?

At this moment, in an attic of the command department, which is the place where the department supervisors and above usually meet.

There are one president, three vice presidents, four deans, and seven supervisors, totaling eleven.

There was one more person who didn't come, and he was Li Guang, the only pro-war advocate in the command department.

Many people feel that Li Guang shouldn't have stayed in the command department; with his abilities, he was clearly more suited to the martial arts department. However, everyone has their own principles.

Li Guang had a rather volatile temper, and being the only one in favor of war, he seemed quite unsociable. There was always one person missing from meetings, and today was no exception.

The eleven people present, the oldest being over two hundred years old and the youngest sixty, whose combined age exceeded four digits, were all frowning because of a slave.

If Wei Qing had only come from a humble background, it wouldn't have been so difficult to tolerate him. Unfortunately, Wei Qing was too flamboyant and viewed the Xiongnu barbarians as bandits.

Especially the bet he made with Quejiafu, which was practically a declaration of war.

If this kind of embryo killing is not handled properly, it will inevitably seriously damage the relationship between the two groups.

"I think we should just recruit him. Once he's in the command department, what trouble could he possibly cause?"

"This is bad. We should avoid hiring this kind of troublemaker if possible. Who knows what trouble he might cause? Don't forget what happened to Zhou Yafu back then."

“Zhou Yafu is Zhou Bo’s eldest son, and his talent is unparalleled. How can Wei Qing, a mere slave, compare to him?”

"Whether they can be compared is another matter, but this Wei Qing is much more ruthless than Zhou Yafu was back then!"

After much discussion, no conclusion was reached.

Finally, the old man who had been sitting in the main seat with his eyes closed in deep thought opened them and said, "Stop talking. Doesn't Wei Qing want to take the test? Then let him take the test!"

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Young Princess Han

There is a pond in the inner courtyard of the Imperial Academy. It is said that when the Imperial Academy was established, Emperor Liu Bang and his ministers dug it and raised many precious fish and turtles in it.

Because of the profound significance of this pond, no one dares to fish or turtles here. Instead, many students bring precious food to feed the pond during exam periods, hoping to absorb some good fortune and be protected to pass the year's exams.

Therefore, the fish and turtles in the pond not only grow big and fat, but are also very honest and simple. When they see people, they don't run away, but even come closer to them.

However, even the fish and turtles are not immune to getting their shoes wet if they stand by the river for too long.

Today was truly an unlucky day. I ran into a little devil. In less than half an hour, I had caught fifty or sixty fish, and the big wooden bucket next to me was almost full.

The old man beside him, both amused and exasperated, advised, "Young master, you should take less; you can't eat too much anyway."

If Liu Yangxin and Wei Qing were here, they would definitely recognize this old man as the one they happened to meet yesterday when they visited Mr. Su, a disciple of Master Xu.

The one the old man called "Young Master" was not a boy, but a girl, very young, only about eleven or twelve years old. She had not yet fully grown up, and her big eyes were bright and full of spirit.

"If we can't eat it, we'll sell it. The expenses at the Imperial Academy are so high; we can't always rely on our senior brothers for help."

The little girl seemed determined to catch all the fish and turtles in the pond before she would stop.

As for the law enforcement officers responsible for patrolling the pond, they stood at a distance, on the verge of tears, knowing they were no match for them; they were simply not on the same level.

That old man's strength was unknown; he was incredibly cunning.

Several people wanted to stop the little girl from fishing, but it seemed that there was a special area within ten feet around the old man and the little girl. Once you stepped into it, no matter which way you went, you could only return to your current position.

The girl was naturally the junior sister mentioned by Mr. Su, and also the Consort Han mentioned by Prime Minister Xiao. There were rumors that she was the daughter of Marquis of Huaiyin, Han Xin.

As for the old man next to him, few people knew him, only that he claimed to have received the favor of the fortune teller Xu and was willing to become his slave to repay it.

"Young Master..."

"What's wrong, Uncle Ying?"

"The commotion over at the square seems to be quite significant. Should I go over there and try to quell it?"

"Why suppress it? I went through so much trouble to build this stage for Aqing. If I don't finish this performance, wouldn't all my efforts over the past few days be wasted?"

Han Fei seemed quite satisfied with the current situation. She looked up in the direction of the Command Department, as if she had taken in all the details: "Those old fogies in the Command Department won't let this go so easily. Let them keep making trouble."

"But... with such a big fuss, won't it cause trouble for Young Master Wei when he enters the Imperial Academy in the future?"

Han Fei threw another large fish she had caught into the wooden bucket, then shook the water off her hands and smugly hummed, "Ying Bo said he saw A Qing yesterday. What kind of person does Ying Bo think A Qing is?"

Ying Bo frowned slightly, recalling the scene of his encounter with Wei Qing yesterday. At that time, he had taken a second look at Wei Qing: "What kind of person is he? This old servant is too blind to tell. But Young Master Wei has a strong aura of blood, so he must be a person who dares to fight and kill."

"What Ying Bo was really thinking was, 'Isn't A Qing just as stupid as that idiot from the Lü family?'"

"Lu Bu is hailed as the best horse, Red Hare, and the best man, and is even known as the Flying General. However, this old servant believes that Lu Bu is still inferior to Young Master Wei."

Han Fei chuckled, seemingly finding Ying Bo's joke quite amusing.

"When did Ying Bo learn to joke around?"

Ying Bo was both amused and exasperated. It seemed that his answer was considered exceptionally stupid by the young master.

"Uncle Ying, don't overthink it. Even if Aqing gets the recommendation letter, it will still cause a huge uproar when she enters the Imperial Academy."

"Why? Doesn't Young Master Wei worry about being targeted?"

Han Fei shook her head and said, "I'm afraid. It's precisely because I'm afraid that I want to make a big fuss. Ying Bo, just imagine, if A Qing hadn't made a big scene in the square today, given her personality and plans, wouldn't she have been targeted after entering the Imperial Academy?"

Of course not. As soon as Aqing steps into the Imperial Academy, she will inevitably be targeted by all parties within the academy.

If that's the case, why not make a big fuss and draw all the attention here?

In the dark of the Imperial Academy, the other party could do whatever they wanted, and Aqing could only let them do as they pleased.

Why not light all the lanterns? Expose everything to the candlelight? That way, every move of both sides will be observed by all the forces at play.

As Cao Ying just said, the Imperial Academy is the Imperial Academy of the Han Dynasty, while the Han Dynasty is the Han Dynasty of the human race.