The queen of the end times is reborn and goes crazy, her whole family is burned to death

Chapter 146: Nanping Prefecture Students Are Being Excluded

Even though the court situation was volatile, the autumn imperial examinations were always carried out as planned.

Students who came to take the imperial examinations flocked into Jingzhao. In an instant, the streets and alleys of Jingzhao became bustling with activity and filled with a strong cultural atmosphere.

The famous academies were packed with students, who came to listen to the teachings of the great scholars with reverence.

Today, it was time for students to come to class.

Normally, the school is always quiet at this time, but today is very different.

I saw many students gathered together in three layers, and noisy quarrels could be heard from the crowd.

"Oh, you're all from Nanping Prefecture! I heard your county mistress is incredibly resourceful, obsessed with opening shops and amassing wealth, reeking of money. You all studied in her school, but you didn't learn the Four Books and Five Classics, but instead, you know all about making money, don't you?"

A scholar with a delicate face and dressed in a plain robe, with a scornful smile on his face, spoke with sarcasm and ridicule to the seven or eight students in front of him.

As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly causing ripples.

Everyone present was stunned at first, and then burst into laughter.

"Who says it's not true? Princess Yan gave up her job as the General's wife and insisted on showing up in public to do business. She is simply unfaithful to her husband and has no sense of purpose. She has brought shame to the General's Mansion!"

In the crowd, a middle-aged woman dressed in silk, arms folded across her chest, echoed with disdain, "Only those with clean backgrounds can enter the Jingzhao school. You'd better leave! You're not welcome here."

The students from Nanping Prefecture who were being ridiculed instantly showed anger and shame on their faces.

The tall student in the lead clenched his fists, his knuckles white from exertion, and glared angrily, "Stop slandering me! County Master Yan is wholeheartedly devoted to the people. She opened the shop to revitalize the Nanping Prefecture's economy and ensure a better life for the people. The school she runs is as good as any in Jingzhao!"

"That's right, you know nothing about County Master Yan, so why do you slander her so wantonly!" Another thin but determined student also retorted loudly.

Seeing this, the scholar in the plain robe, instead of restraining himself, laughed even more arrogantly: "Still talking nonsense, the facts are right in front of us. You guys come from a money-grubbing world. What real talent or knowledge do you have? I'm afraid you can't even write a good article."

At this moment, an old man suddenly squeezed out of the crowd. He was wearing a long gray cloth gown. Although his clothes were simple, it could not hide his elegant temperament.

The old man's eyes were sharp as a torch. After scanning the crowd, he slowly spoke, "You are all students here to learn. You should learn from each other and make progress together. How can you speak ill of each other here? You have lost the demeanor of a scholar. Moreover, judging others based on hearsay alone is not the behavior of a gentleman."

The middle-aged woman's expression changed slightly when she saw the old man come forward, but she still refused to give in and said, "Sir, you don't know that the people in Nanping Prefecture are indeed misbehaving. Their county lord has done such a disgraceful thing, which has brought bad morals. We in Jingzhao cannot be polluted by them."

The old man shook his head slightly, his expression serious. "I've been to Nanping Prefecture before, and all that County Lady Yan has done is there for all to see. She truly works for the welfare of the people. Although she's a woman, she's so responsible, truly a woman who's no less capable than a man. You only see her doing business, but you don't see how much effort she puts into ensuring the people have enough food and clothing."

After hearing the old man's words, everyone looked at each other, not knowing how to respond for a moment.

The scholar in the plain robe had a flicker of unnaturalness on his face, but he still said stubbornly, "Even so, the students from Nanping Prefecture may not be qualified to study with us."

At this moment, the teacher of the school rushed over. After learning the whole story, he said to the students from Nanping Prefecture in a deep voice: "This is a key area of ​​the school. How can you make a noise here?"

After saying this, he turned to the guards and ordered, "What are you doing here? Get these irrelevant people out of here."

When the students of Nanping Prefecture heard what the teacher said, they were all shocked and angry.

A tall, resolute-looking student in the lead stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Master, we are not idlers. We have come from thousands of miles away to study here. We have endured hardships along the way, sleeping in the open air, just to gain knowledge and improve ourselves in this institution. Now, we are being driven away by such misunderstandings. It is truly unacceptable."

Another impatient student couldn't help but loudly question, "Just because we're from Nanping Prefecture, should we be treated differently? Are these school rules designed to select talent, or to exclude those who are different?"

As soon as the words came out, the scene suddenly became more tense and the air seemed to freeze.

Those who originally had prejudices against the students of Nanping Prefecture now showed disdain on their faces when they saw their resistance.

Someone murmured quietly: "Look, the people in Nanping Prefecture are so unruly and don't know how to respect their teachers."

"If you don't drive them all away, no one from Nanping Prefecture will be allowed to enter the school from now on." The teacher growled in anger and waved his hand, signaling his servants to carry out the order immediately.

"Ridiculous!" The old man was furious. He swung his sleeves and strode over to the students from Nanping Prefecture. He asked sternly, "Are you going to stay or leave?"

The students of Nanping Prefecture were undaunted. With piercing eyes, they stared directly at the teacher and the mocking crowd, and replied firmly, "Let's go! How can this school have such a teacher who judges people by appearance and looks down on them? What kind of true learning can he teach us? Why should we stay here and listen to a bunch of barking dogs?"

"How dare you!" The Master flew into a rage, his face flushing crimson. "Your words and actions are simply disrespectful to society!"

The old man's eyes widened as he cursed fiercely, "You bastards! Your actions are a blasphemy against civility!"

The Master's face flushed red from being scolded, and he shouted furiously, "Where did this ignorant old fellow come from? Get him out! Get all of them out!"

Upon hearing the Master's order, the guards immediately rushed forward like vicious dogs, shouting, "Old man, what kind of place is this? You can't talk nonsense here!"

As the guards were carrying the old man, a group of people suddenly came running towards them from a distance, shouting, "Stop! Stop now!"

The Master was startled when he saw this. He quickly stepped forward and said respectfully, "Greetings, Dean!"

It turned out that the visitors were the dean of the academy and his entourage. The dean ignored the teacher's greeting and walked straight up to the old man, scolding the guard in a stern voice: "Let go of Mr. Laozi!"

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the arena.