Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 435 - 386 Concubine Hu

Chapter 435: Chapter 386 Concubine Hu
The class concluded, and Li Leqing returned to the Imperial Palace to write her account of today’s inspection of the Imperial Medical Bureau.
Li Ang and Qiu Feng left to visit the home of a female student, Ouyang Shi, who had requested two days of sick leave.
The two stepped out of the Imperial Medical Bureau into the biting cold wind. Qiu Feng pulled his head into his collar and tugged it higher, offhandedly asking, "Were you a bit cold to the Princess today?"
"Was I?"
"Yes."
Qiu Feng pulled a finger from his sleeve and waved it. "In the past, you wouldn’t have used such a cold tone to explain so much, you know."
"Hmm..."
Li Ang narrowed his eyes in recollection. "Maybe it’s because I’ve had more troubling matters on my mind lately?"
The higher one’s status and the greater one’s power, the more one sees. And the more Li Ang saw... the more pessimistic he became. There was simply too much misery and misfortune in this world. Instances like Gan Xiao’er’s family in Sha Tao Village, Yizhou, were countless. Collusion between officials and merchants to seize wealth by force or trickery; powerful clans and noble families abusing private punishments; petty officials and constables extorting the common people; workshop owners exploiting workers; the employment of child labor... Each and every one of these issues often filled Li Ang with the urge to draw his sword and wipe the world clean, leaving behind a vast expanse of white, truly spotless. Scholars... scholars are unreliable. "If only there were a vast mansion of a thousand rooms, sheltering all the cold scholars in the land with joyous faces." "Boasting of erudite scholars in conversation, with no commoners passing by." The civil examination system, enduring for hundreds of years, had created two classes—scholars and common people—with an almost insurmountable gap between them. Most scholars subconsciously saw nothing wrong with looking down upon the common folk, believing scholars’ rights were inherently superior to those of commoners. Even the Doctors and students at the Academic Palace largely viewed commoners as objects needing protection. They believed commoners lacked the capacity for independent thought and required the Academic Palace’s direction and guidance. All these things made Li Ang feel increasingly out of step with this world.
"Stop frowning; how about some roasted chestnuts?"
Qiu Feng laughed, patting Li Ang’s shoulder. He took out some copper coins from his sachet and bought two portions of sugar-roasted chestnuts wrapped in oiled paper from a roadside stall.
"Here."
He handed one portion over. Li Ang used Telekinesis to peel the chestnut shells, retrieve the nut, and toss it into his mouth. They were indeed sweet, soft, and sticky, dispelling some of the winter chill.
Walking and eating, their casual conversation ranged from the future of the sick house and the Imperial Medical Bureau to recent schoolwork, and even the latest prices in Chang’an City. Thanks to the completion of the railroad, logistics and transportation had improved, reducing prices somewhat and making shopping more convenient than before.
Before they knew it, they had finished the bag of chestnuts and arrived at their destination: a tavern.
The streets outside were desolate, but the tavern was bustling. Inside, groups of three or five scholars sat at tables, with scantily clad Concubines Hu by their sides, drinking and discussing the political situation in the court.
"Ah, Prince Yue really left at the wrong time. The Ministry of Supervision recently established a new department for the railroads, wielding power far exceeding the other Six Ministries and enjoying unparalleled prominence. Yet, Prince Guang managed to seize the initiative."
Recently, Emperor Yu had surprisingly chosen the unobtrusive Prince Guang, Li Shan, granting him an official title and putting him in charge of the railroad construction.
"Prince Guang’s birth mother is from the Wu family... Could His Majesty intend to reinstate the old officials from Luoyang?"
"That’s impossible, isn’t it? After so many years, how many of those old officials from Luoyang could still be around? Perhaps those who have been suppressed for so long harbor even deeper resentment against the Wu family than the officials in Chang’an do..."
The common people of Chang’an loved to debate politics. These scholars, who had studied and were preparing for the civil examination, regarded criticizing the current state of affairs as a means of demonstrating their own abilities. They spoke with extraordinary boldness, daring to say anything short of treason.
"That’s where you’re mistaken," one of the scholars chuckled lightly. "Although the new department for the railroads holds great power, its initial tasks are mostly the kind that offend people. Encroaching on commoners’ farmland, disturbing the ancestral tombs of clans, and vying with noble families for power and profit—these actions make it far too easy to attract resentment and make mistakes. Once the railroad construction is complete and the unsavory tasks are done, it will be about time for His Highness Prince Yue to return from Taihao Mountain."
"Brilliant..."
"With such foresight, Brother Shenming, it’s no wonder you’re held in high regard by the Yue Royal Mansion."
Li Ang and Qiu Feng exchanged glances upon hearing these scholars’ lofty discussions, both feeling an urge to laugh.
These scholars were not involved in politics and lacked firsthand information; they were merely speculating based on newspaper articles and street rumors.
The scholar, basking in the praise, could barely conceal his smugness. He drawled, "His Highness Prince Yue has extensive connections. He discusses the Dao with the Faith Cultivation Cardinal, shares a profound friendship with Mountain Master Lu Qingya of the Lu Li Academy, and even considers that Little Medicine King God of the Li surname a kindred spirit..."
Hold on, hold on! How did I get dragged into this? I’m not that close to Li Hui.
Li Ang’s face darkened. Amidst Qiu Feng’s teasing chuckle, he gestured to a tavern attendant.
The attendant, dressed in a green robe with a towel draped over his shoulder, hurried over and respectfully inquired, "What can I do for you two honored guests?"
"We’re from the Imperial Medical Bureau, looking for our student, Ouyang Shi." Li Ang asked, "Where is she?"
Ouyang Shi had grown up in the tavern with her mother, a Concubine Hu who entertained guests with drinks. She had become self-taught by devouring books. Ouyang Shi’s mother aged and her looks faded. The tavern owner tried to coerce and tempt Ouyang Shi into replacing her mother to entertain drinkers. Unexpectedly, Ouyang Shi secretly enrolled in and passed the Imperial Medical Bureau’s examination. Using her status as Li Ang’s student, she then threatened the tavern owner, demanding he treat her with proper respect. The tavern owner, fearful of Li Ang, truly dared not harass her further and even provided her and her mother with a separate room.
Recently, after Ouyang Shi achieved first place in an Imperial Medical Bureau examination, she had specifically come to the office to explain this situation to Li Ang and sincerely apologize for her audacity in leveraging his authority.
Li Ang didn’t mind at all; on the contrary, he rather admired this hardworking and outstanding student.
"This..." The attendant hesitated. "Miss Ouyang Shi said she doesn’t wish to be disturbed..."
"Hmm?"
Li Ang’s brow furrowed slightly. The attendant shuddered, the excuses he was about to make dying on his lips. He instinctively said, "She’s in the back courtyard."
"Lead the way." Li Ang gestured with his hand, signaling the attendant to lead.
Before they even stepped into the back courtyard, they heard a man’s voice from within.
"Don’t be like this, Shi’er. Please open the door. Whatever it is, we can discuss it face to face."
"Please leave, sir," Ouyang Shi replied coldly. "We hardly know each other. Why do you insist on pestering me?"
"What do you mean, pester? I know I’ve wronged you deeply. I’m only asking for a chance to make amends!"
That voice sounds so familiar.
Li Ang and Qiu Feng pushed open the courtyard gate and saw... Xi Yangyu?
As their six eyes met, Qiu Feng gasped, covering his mouth in astonishment, while Li Ang’s eyebrows shot up.
Upon seeing the two appear, Xi Yangyu’s facial muscles twitched, and he lowered the hand that had been pressed against the doorframe.
"Master Xi," Li Ang’s status had risen, and he no longer needed to be wary of Xi Yangyu. He said directly, "Are you... harassing my student?"