“These are just casual chats outside of lessons. It doesn't matter if you understand them or not, so don't overthink it. Search: \(¨Complete¨Book¨Station¨) to read high-quality literature for free. Returning to the classroom, there are many ways to explain Zhou Pei's question. The Classic of Filial Piety says..."

After delivering that startling theory, Ning Yi returned to the Analects and Book of Songs to discuss more conventional topics. However, everyone's minds were in such a state of confusion that they were in no mood to listen to him. Zhou Pei also had no interest in those clichés. She probably would have felt that the teacher was just trying to brush her off and wasn't as insightful as she was. Of course, since becoming his student last year, she had little doubt about Ning Yi's talent.

But talent was one thing; a teacher's improper attitude was another. Influenced by Kang Xian, Zhou Pei felt annoyed all day long. She liked listening to his lectures and stories, but she was still bothered by his behavior during lessons. She even considered taking her brother away, but she knew that she could learn a lot from this teacher, which made her conflicted. Recently, she had also been troubled by the possibility of marrying a prince and growing up. Fortunately, she had strong self-control and hadn't lost her mind. Instead, she became even more determined to correct her teacher's ways.

At the start of the new year, the number of students in Ning Yi's class had grown to over twenty. Zhou Pei was usually talented and gentle when interacting with others. Although the boys were shy to talk to her, she was still well-liked or admired. This time, she was determined to rally the masses: "Although the teacher is never serious, we must set a good example ourselves."

To this end, Zhou Pei prepared a lengthy speech before Ning Yi arrived in the classroom, talking about how everyone would become pillars of the nation in the future and how they should behave in class. Honestly, Zhou Pei was quite eloquent, and the atmosphere in the various academies at the time was similar, with teachers being extremely serious and strict. If it weren't for the principal's protection, Ning Yi wouldn't be able to teach at all. After hearing Zhou Pei's speech, most of the students thought it made sense and prepared to be more strict with themselves in class.

This was also a matter of perspective. The teachers Zhou Pei had experienced were extremely strict. Even as a little princess, she had been scolded by her teachers, had her hands smacked with a ruler, and been forced to copy the Analects. At the very least, the classroom had to be serious, with no nonsense or interruptions allowed. Ning Yi telling stories in class was simply unacceptable to her, and it detracted from his other qualities.

As for Ning Yi, he thought that his students had become quite well-behaved after his influence. When he first started teaching, there were a few mischievous students, but now there were almost no truly naughty children in the class. Perhaps this was because of his reputation in the Su family. No one dared to disobey him when he was actually speaking or lecturing. As for telling stories and elaborating on various points, it was originally intended to get everyone to think for themselves, to find what was interesting, funny, or thought-provoking. Asking a few questions and laughing together, like at a party, was only natural, so why stop it?

If Zhou Pei had enough experience, she would probably realize that most of the children decided to trust her after she made those proposals because they thought she made "sense." It wasn't good to lack authority. These students had to help the teacher maintain his authority. Other students, although saying "The teacher said before that it's better to be more relaxed," followed the trend for the time being.

In the following days, when Ning Yi lectured, a group of students sat upright and solemn. Occasionally, someone couldn't help but laugh at a joke, but then they would try to make a very, very serious expression, which made Ning Yi confused.

But such spontaneity naturally couldn't last long under Ning Yi's prodding. At the end of the month, Ning Yi asked with amusement: "Am I outdated? Are my jokes no longer funny?" The students then tried to persuade him, saying that teachers should be stricter with them, which would help maintain the teacher's reputation and integrity, like a group of little adults.

Ning Yi was now not only highly respected in the Su family, but also had a widespread reputation for talent. People who didn't understand Ning Yi's personality would often come to visit. The students also felt honored, but his unconventional teaching methods were always criticized. He had only been teaching for a year, and Yu Mountain Academy hadn't produced any prodigies. The students heard others discussing this and began to think about Ning Yi's reputation as a teacher. They then realized that Zhou Pei had used this reason in her speech to stir up a group of students and decide to be more disciplined in class.

At this time, Ning Yi was dumbfounded, unsure whether to laugh or be touched. Zhou Pei, whose actions had been exposed, stood up in the classroom. The little girl was quite pretty, but she had been in a bad mood these days, and her face was wooden: "The student acted on her own initiative. Please punish me, Teacher." Ning Yi walked between the students' seats. While listening to the children, he walked to a spot not far in front of Zhou Pei, and was stunned. The little girl was serious about her studies and was forcing him to take a stand.

Seeing her stubborn expression, Ning Yi found it amusing. After a moment, he smiled: "The important thing is to have your own opinion. You did well. Why should I punish you?"

The little girl confronted him for a long time, looking at the ruler that Ning Yi usually used as a pointer, closed her eyes, and stretched out her palm.

The two only exchanged two sentences and one action, but in reality, neither of them had yielded. The other students naturally couldn't hear too many hidden meanings. Ning Yi was dumbfounded. After a long time, he tapped the other party's palm with the barely-used ruler. Zhou Pei's tightly furrowed eyebrows twitched, but she didn't feel any pain. When she opened her eyes, Ning Yi had already turned around with a smile and began to talk about the importance of "understanding" and "drawing inferences" in reading.

The little princess pouted and sat down, not listening to much of the lesson. Soon after, others couldn't see much difference in her expression, but she didn't say much all morning. At noon, she sent her brother to eat alone. Xiao Junwu could feel the murderous aura on his sister and didn't dare to approach, scurrying away.

She walked around the academy. She didn't pay much attention to the girls who greeted her. She wouldn't have been so out of sorts in the past. She only sat down for a while when she reached the bamboo forest in the corner of the academy. There was still snow on the ground. Even though the temperature during the day was a little higher, the bamboo forest was still cold, and no one came over. She sat for a while, her nose couldn't help but feel a pang, and tears fell. She reached out and wiped her face, crying like that.

Actually, she didn't quite understand why she was crying so hard. She wouldn't have been angry about these things in the past. Her teacher was a capable person, and she knew that his teaching methods weren't necessarily useless. She also understood that. In fact, these days, thinking about her father wanting to choose a husband for her, she felt empty in addition to her heartbeat.

For more than ten years, she had just begun to understand things when she was about to get married. She hadn't done any of the things she wanted to do.

If she were a few years older, she might think that the troubles she felt at this time were really naive, but at this time, the only thing the thirteen-year-old girl could do was sit by the bamboo forest and cry with tears streaming down her face.

While she was feeling sad and wiping away her tears, she saw a figure standing not far away looking over here. She quickly wiped her tears and looked over, but saw that the figure was Ning Yi, who was about to leave after school. Zhou Pei's eyes had been blurred by tears before, and she hadn't noticed. Ning Yi naturally hadn't noticed her when he walked over. At this time, the two recognized each other. The thirteen-year-old girl tried desperately to put on a straight face and stop her tears, but for a moment, she couldn't stop them no matter what...

******************

The afternoon was sunny and bright. Although there was still no warmth, it always made people feel more open-minded than when the weather was gloomy.

After experiencing a season of cold winter, the young grass in the small courtyard had already sprouted. Attributed to the previous owner's lack of intention and idea to tidy up the yard, the ground between the courtyards was now covered with lush grass. There were still piles of unmelted snow in some places, adding to the vibrant atmosphere. When the wind chimes under the eaves rang softly, a girl wearing a white and green elegant dress was sitting on the railing eating a meat roll in her hand.

From the perspective of this era, the girl's dress already reached the line of an adult, but in reality, even if her appearance was dignified and her attitude was serious, a girl with a height of only 1.3 meters looked like a little dot who had not yet grown up. Her petite figure and the expression she tried to make as an adult, because her dress was noble and delicate, made her look more like a porcelain doll who was trying to grow up.

Earlier in the academy, her teacher saw her crying. Embarrassment, sadness, and other thoughts were mixed together in Zhou Pei's mind. It was hard to say what she was feeling at the time. In the past, she found Ning Yi's teaching style interesting in addition to complaining about it. Recently, she felt that she couldn't stand it, but it was only because she was in a bad mood. Afterwards, these things didn't come to fruition, and small setbacks piled up in her heart.

But naturally, it was impossible to admit these things verbally. She hoped that the teacher could convince her. It was awkward to mention that she was seen crying, but there was no way to pretend that it hadn't happened, so she followed Ning Yi all the way here. She didn't eat anything at noon, so she bought a meat roll and held it in her hand to eat.

But it was impossible for her to understand Ning Yi's thoughts. Ning Yi didn't approve of a girl getting married at the age of thirteen or fourteen, but this was the norm in the Wu Dynasty. The etiquette was like this, and it was useless to say anything if it wasn't his own daughter. Zhou Pei probably felt that she was already an adult, but in reality, she was just a child. He didn't want to teach a child to be too mature, and he couldn't use the methods he used to deal with children to fool her. She had to understand and accept the things in life herself. In fact, she was in a bad mood now, but she would naturally accept it after getting married.

The little girl sat under the eaves and didn't wait for Ning Yi's enlightenment. She thought that the teacher was doing some experiment inside again, and took a few bites of the meat roll fiercely. Afterwards, she saw the door open and Ning Yi came out carrying a long package. He asked, "Are you and Junwu still playing at the academy this afternoon?"

Zhou Pei looked at the long package behind him, swallowed the food in her mouth, and bit her lip: "Where is Teacher going?"

"I'm going to the Prince Consort's mansion to see if your Uncle Lu is there. You should go back to the academy first."

"Looking for Grandpa Prince Consort... then I'll go too."

Zhou Pei thought for a while, then lifted her skirt and followed behind him. She looked at the package behind Ning Yi, which wasn't wrapped very carefully, and a bamboo tube was sticking out from the corner. She and Junwu had seen this thing when they came over, but the teacher didn't allow them to touch it. However, she knew that it was a fire lance from the army.

Compared to "playing" with Junwu at the academy, she was naturally more interested in serious matters. Besides, the depression of the past few days hadn't been resolved, so she naturally had to follow. If the teacher brought it up, she would have to reason with him and let him know that she wasn't the kind of little child who could only cry. It was purely an accident that he saw her crying just now. This was the most important thing.

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I'm back.

I revised the outline and clues again. There will be another chapter tonight. (To be continued.) Please vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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