Chapter 284 - 283: Daring to Speak of Hardship, Directly Confronting to the Death

Words : 1313 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

Chapter 284: Chapter 283: Daring to Speak of Hardship, Directly Confronting to the Death Mrs. Xie personally brought Qin Mingqi over, both mother and son with hurried steps, unable to hide the excitement on their faces. Upon seeing Mrs. Wang, she could not help but speak. "Eldest sister-in-law, where is Miss Xi, isn’t she going to take our Qi to the academy? Nanny Shen was not very clear, which academy is it?" Before Mrs. Wang could speak, Qin Liuxi stepped out from behind her and said, "It is Zhihe Academy." She looked at Qin Mingqi, sizing him up: "Since you’re here, let’s go. We shouldn’t delay. Xiao Wu?" "Big sister, I’m here!" Qin Mingchun, already neatly dressed, dashed out. Seeing Qin Mingchun so lively and his face refined like carved jade, and then looking at Qin Mingqi, Mrs. Xie felt that the latter’s clothes today were perhaps too shabby. "Let’s go." Qin Liuxi saw that everyone was ready and started walking forward. "Miss Xi, wait a moment." Mrs. Xie voiced out, "Is Qi’s attire not spirited enough? Should we change into another set?" Qin Liuxi turned her head for a glance: "It’s fine as it is." "Not that..." "If he wants to change, he need not follow me. Aside from Zhihe Academy, there are other schools in Li City," Qin Liuxi said indifferently. "However, I can’t pave that path for him." Mrs. Xie immediately closed her mouth, smiling awkwardly, "No change then, no change. You all go ahead, don’t keep the teacher waiting." Only then did Qin Liuxi take the two of them along. Mrs. Xie, until no one was in sight, then asked Mrs. Wang: "Eldest sister-in-law, this Zhihe Academy, how are the teachers? Are they comparable to those in the capital?" Mrs. Wang replied indifferently: "The Mountain Master of Zhihe Academy, Mr. Tang, naturally has excellent faculty. He himself personally teaches." Mrs. Xie’s eyes showed doubt: "The surname is Tang?" Mrs. Wang tried to be patient and said: "The Grand Scholar Tang in the capital, he is his father." "Is it that Tang who passed the scholar exams but did not take an official position, instead opening an academy, Tang what’s-his-name again?" Mrs. Xie exclaimed. Mrs. Wang nodded: "Go and tell mother about this, this matter also needs to be mentioned to her." Mrs. Xie hurriedly came over, leaning close to her, "Eldest sister-in-law, how did Miss Xi get to know this Mountain Master of the Zhihe Academy?" "They say it’s through believers from the Daoist Temple, so they have a bit of a connection," Mrs. Wang made an excuse, not revealing the real relationship between Qin Liuxi and Master Tang, to avoid others having more requests. In the midst of their talk, they had already arrived at Old Mrs. Qin’s courtyard. Old Mrs. Qin had also heard the news and beckoned them over: "I was expecting you would come, so Miss Xi really took Qi and Chun’er to school?" "We were just about to discuss this matter with you, yes, it’s true. They went on Master Tang’s recommendation, and after the registration at the academy is settled, the children will come back and speak with you personally," Mrs. Wang smiled and said. Old Mrs. Qin was excitedly patting the kang table, repeatedly saying good, and then asked Mrs. Xie the same question about how they got to know him. Mrs. Wang just repeated what she told Mrs. Xie, and added: "The child is determined; she quietly handled this matter; I was surprised when I heard about it. Although we had previously talked about finding a school for them, I didn’t expect it would happen so quickly." Old Mrs. Qin nodded, "She is indeed determined." Mrs. Wang bowed her head. Mrs. Xie thought of her son’s attire and said, "Mother, since both children are going to the academy, do you think we should buy them each a servant to attend to them?" Old Mrs. Qin hesitated, turning to Mrs. Wang. Mrs. Wang frowned and said, "They’ve just started at the academy, and we don’t know the situation yet. I heard Chun’er say that they will only be auditing students initially. They need to take a monthly exam after one month, and if they don’t pass, they will have to drop out." "Drop out?" Mrs. Xie’s eyes widened. Mrs. Wang nodded and said, "The students of Zhihe Academy must pass exams to stay. Even if they joined like Chun’er, they have to prove themselves with real ability to remain in the academy, so they can’t be an exception. After all, with Master Tang’s reputation, personal favors are personal favors, but one can’t ruin one’s own reputation." "Miss Xi can’t hold up with just personal favors?" Mrs. Xie asked awkwardly. Mrs. Wang said, "Given our current situation, Master Tang can defy imperial power and still take them in, which is already a huge favor. Asking for more would be ungracious and greedy on our part." Mrs. Xie’s face flushed. Mrs. Gu, who had been quiet, smiled and said, "Regardless, getting into the academy is the best outcome. I believe Chun’er and Qi’er are clever children, they will certainly pass the monthly exam and stay." Old Mrs. Qin also nodded, "Mrs. Gu is right, the children of the Qin family are never inferior." ... Qin Liuxi brought Qin Mingchun and the others back home during the Chen hours, just as Old Mrs. Qin was awake, and they went to greet her together. Seeing both grandsons smiling, Old Mrs. Qin smiled at Qin Liuxi and asked, "Did you meet with the Mountain Master?" "Yes. Starting tomorrow, they will officially be auditing students. They will participate in the October monthly exam. If they fail, they will come back home; if they pass, they will continue to stay and be students," Qin Liuxi explained while also looking at Qin Mingqi and others, "So you must strive to succeed. The best academy in Li City, even in Ningzhou Prefecture City, is Zhihe Academy. Families want to send their children here. If you cannot stay, you’ll have to go to a lesser school." Qin Mingchun reaffirmed, "Xiao Wu will do his best!" Qin Mingqi also puffed out his chest and clenched his fists, saying, "I will too." "Very good, you all strive to succeed, study hard, respect your teachers, and be friendly with your classmates," Old Mrs. Qin embraced her two grandsons, showing them affection. Mrs. Xie took the chance to say, "Miss Xi, I also mentioned to your grandmother today, since they are going to school, shouldn’t they have an Attendant Student to serve them?" Qin Liuxi put down her teacup, saying, "Now they are no longer the spoiled young masters of the Qin family, surrounded by servants. As men, they should be self-sufficient and self-reliant. If they cannot manage their own affairs, how can they manage the world? They don’t need servants or attendant students, they should handle things themselves." "They also have to study and take care of themselves, and they are still young..." Qin Liuxi, putting down her teacup and sternly looking at her, said, "Auntie, are you suggesting that they are suffering? There are people enduring more hardship in the Northwest eating sand! Do they dare to say they are suffering? Do they have the right to speak of suffering?" Mrs. Xie’s expression changed as she looked at Old Mrs. Qin, realizing the blunder. Indeed, Old Mrs. Qin’s expression turned grim. Qin Liuxi looked at Qin Mingqi and Qin Mingchun, "Tell me, dressing yourself, eating, organizing personal belongings, even washing your own sweat cloths and undergarments, studying, writing, doing these things—is it suffering?" Unconcerned with trivial matters, wholly focused on studying the saintly books, children should be independent, especially when there are difficulties at home, so that they can stand on their own in the future! Who dares to say it’s suffering? Silence her!

Chapter 284 - 283: Daring to Speak of Hardship, Directly Confronting to the Death

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