C17 Fighting for Father and Mother

"Jing Bao, styled Wenruo!" Jing Bao replied.

"Very well, I've noted it down!"

Jing Bao suddenly felt a chill down his spine. Once the group of four left, he quickly bowed to Qian Sanyi. "Brother Qian, may I ask who that was?"

Qian Sanyi sighed dramatically. "The treasured son of the Eldest Princess, last name Gao, first name Chao. He's eighteen this year, and the current emperor is his uncle."

Great, another enemy made.

Qian Sanyi stood behind her, whispering in her ear, "Here's the deal: I'm on good terms with him. You pay me ten taels of silver a month, and I'll make sure he doesn't bother you. Think it over!"

Jing Bao assumed he was joking and haggled without hesitation, "Ten taels is too steep. How about five?"

Qian Sanyi: "Deal!"

Jing Bao: "..."

She was just speaking off the cuff.

...

The clerk who assisted Jing Bao was named Jiang Minghu. He found Jing Bao's name and helped him register. Once registered, he handed her a receipt and instructed her to go to the archives to collect her books.

The archivist, Guo Peiqian, glanced at the receipt and smiled warmly at Jing Bao. "Jing Bao, you're assigned to Justice Hall."

Boom!

Jing Bao felt as if struck by lightning, frozen on the spot. Justice Hall was the lowest level of the Imperial College, akin to the first grade of a six-year elementary education.

Seventh Master Jing wanted to see which hall Qian Sanyi ended up in, hoping his five pieces of silver weren't wasted.

"I'm in a higher hall than you," Qian Sanyi said with a hint of pride. "If anyone gives you trouble, remember to come find me!"

Jing Bao asked, "Can you take them on?"

Qian Sanyi replied, "Probably not, but I can help you yell at them until they back off."

Great! Those five pieces of silver might as well have been tossed into a river.

As the master and servant strolled leisurely, Yuanji timidly asked, "Seventh Master, do you have a room to yourself?"

Jing Bao felt a pang in his chest. At the college, unless you were royalty, everyone shared a room with two others, no matter how much silver you had.

They reached the door to the room. Jing Bao glanced up and saw that Room 7 was all the way at the end, right next to a wall.

What a secluded spot!

Yan leaned in and said, "Master, this could be a good thing. If there's ever an emergency, I can carry you over the wall. I'll scout it out when it gets dark."

Jing Bao's eyes lit up, and he felt a bit less weary.

They knocked and entered the room, where a young man with a delicate appearance was sitting. The two sized each other up before Jing Bao stepped forward with a smile and a bow. "Hello, my name is Jing Bao, courtesy name Wenruo."

The young man stood and returned the gesture. "My surname is Wang, given name Qinsheng. I don't have a courtesy name yet. From your voice, Wenruo, you don't sound like you're from around here?"

Jing Bao said, "I was recommended by the Lin'an Academy. How about you?"

Wong Qinsheng replied with a smile, "I was recommended by the Jinling Academy."

Jing Bao exclaimed, "Wow, what a coincidence! My second sister married into the Jinling Prefecture."

Neither of them expected such a connection, and as they chatted further, they discovered they were distant relatives.

As they were enjoying their conversation, someone suddenly burst into the room.

Startled, Jing Bao turned to see who it was and quickly hid behind Wong Qinsheng.

It was none other than Gao Chao!

"You, you, what do you want?" Jing Bao stammered.

With a dramatic flair, Gao Chao snapped open his fan, waved it a few times with a flourish, then snapped it shut with a loud "clap," pointing to a bed nearby. "Hmm, this bed, I'm claiming it."

Jing Bao was dumbfounded. "Shouldn't someone of your status have a room to yourself?"

"What can I do?" Gao Chao sighed deeply, feigning reluctance. "Libationer Gu said I got into the college through connections. If he lets me have a room to myself, he might face criticism. I can't make things difficult for him..."

He sighed again, looking as if he had no choice. "Besides, staying alone is boring, so I thought I'd join you guys for some fun! You don't mind, do you?"

Jing Bao was left speechless.

"Sir, there are two students outside wishing to see you," someone announced. "One is Young Master Gao from the Princess Mansion; the other claims to be Seventh Master Jing."

Inside the hall.

Gu Changping's expression shifted as he glanced at Lee Junxian. Lee Junxian silently gestured behind the screen, indicating, "I'll step aside for a moment."

Once Lee Junxian had slipped away, Gu Changping cleared his throat and said, "Invite them in."

Jing Bao followed behind Gao Chao, climbing the steps quickly until they reached the main room where Gu Changping was. As they got closer, they could see someone sitting at a desk, writing. He was dressed in casual clothes without a formal hat—it was Gu Changping.

Hearing the two enter, Gu Changping continued writing without looking up. Jing Bao glanced at Gao Chao and was momentarily stunned by his striking appearance. Though he wasn't as handsome as Gao Chao, his demeanor was undeniably more commanding.

At that moment, Gu Changping set down his brush and looked up. "Had a good look?"

Jing Bao was startled and quickly lowered her head. Gao Chao, on the other hand, lifted his chin and snapped open his fan with a flourish. "Libationer Gu, I want to change rooms!"

Gu Changping looked at him calmly. "Why?"

Gao Chao pointed his fan at Jing Bao. "I can't get along with him!"

Gu Changping slowly stood and walked over to them, his gaze settling on Gao Chao. With a sigh, he said softly, "You grew up in a world of luxury, surrounded by flattery and praise. If you were to remain a noble all your life, that would be one thing; but..."

"You've entered the Imperial College, which means you're expected to become a government official someday. The most important skill for an official isn't the knowledge in your head, but your ability to interact with others. If you can't even get along with your roommate, you might as well head home and stop wasting your time here."

Gao Chao looked at Gu Changping, momentarily speechless.

Gu Changping shifted his gaze to Seventh Master Jing, feeling frustrated. "Mr. Jing, what do you want?"

Jing Bao gritted his teeth. "I don't want to share a room with him. He's a privileged kid, and I'm just an ordinary guy. We don't see eye to eye."

Gu Changping sneered, "You're a bottom-ranked student, yet instead of focusing on your studies, you're worried about choosing your roommate. Do you want to pick your teachers too?"

"I wouldn't dare!" Jing Bao's face flushed with embarrassment.

Gu Changping pulled out a test paper from the towering stack of documents. "Take a look at your own work."

Jing Bao leaned over, his face turning beet red. At the top of the paper was a bright red mark indicating a low grade, which was then crossed out and changed to a slightly better one.

"And you still have the nerve to complain about your room?"

Jing Bao's neck turned crimson. "I was wrong."

Gu Changping glanced at him, slightly frowning. "Go back and copy 'The Analects' once as your punishment."

Jing Bao: "..."

"If you don't leave now, make it twice!"

Jing Bao felt a vein throb at his temple and quickly bowed out. He moved slowly, torn between staying and leaving. His slender figure was filled with bright thoughts, something both Gu Changping and Gao Chao could easily see.

Gao Chao lifted his chin with satisfaction. "Libationer Gu is the fairest and most just."

Jing Bao turned his head, retorting angrily, "Yeah, right. It's all about who your parents are these days!"

Gu Changping: Bold to the point of recklessness!

Gao Chao: Really asking for it!

Behind the screen, Lee Junxian mused, "All about who your parents are? There's some truth to that. My background—Dad's enough, but Mom's not quite there!"