Chapter 235 – A Shot From The Back (2)

Some brave ones who didn’t mind the noise and the stench helped pry the arrows from her sleeves. As soon as she had been set free, she held her skirt and dashed out of the place.

Forced to have witnessed the whole thing in silence, Teacher Tu was fuming. His best-laid plans had come to a naught because of this darted girl. How could he face the Huang Family now? Well, he didn’t have control over what happened, but he could still salvage the situation.

Pointing to Ye Zhen, he said, “You, come with me to the headmaster. How can there be such a cruel and cold-blooded student in this academy? You are not worthy of being here.”

“Teacher Tu, are you certain you want me to meet with the headmaster? Then, you who connived Huang Fuxiang to shoot arrows behind one’s back, are you worthy of being a teacher? Had I not evaded in time, I would have been dead by now. She can take a shot at me, but am not allowed to even startle her? While the life of the young miss of the Lu Family is insignificant and worthless in your eyes, not a hair should be touched on the head of the precious miss of Huang Family, isn’t it?”

Teacher Tu’s face was as dark as the bottom of a wok. “I didn’t see her shoot at you!” he said between clenched teeth.

“I saw it!” Sun Wen immediately cried out. “I saw with my own eyes that Huang Fuxiang intended to shoot Yaoyao.”

Ye Zhen faintly smiled. “Teacher Tu, since you are our teacher, then you are responsible for our safety. How can you let Huang Fuxiang shoot an arrow behind one’s back?”

Regardless of where this matter went, it’s their teacher’s fault. He had let the situation fly out of control neglecting his duty… deliberately or inadvertently, it didn’t matter. Thus, Ye Zhen was not at all worried about going to see the headmaster at all.

It was the second time Teacher Tu’s intentions were mercilessly thwarted by the young girl. He had wanted to escalate the matter, seek “justice” for the Huang Fuxiang, and gain a chance to ask for that favour. He didn’t expect that let alone penalize, he could not even threaten her. “Since you know it’s wrong to shoot arrows at others, how can you shoot four arrows at Huang Fuxiang in succession?”

“I was too scared that I lost control of my hands,” Ye Zhen said with a helpless face.

Teacher Tu badly wanted to punish Ye Zhen, but he knew not what excuse to find. If he were to punish her now, shouldn’t Huang Fuxiang be punished as well? Ultimately, word of this matter would reach the dean.

The headmaster may protect him, but who was to say the dean would too?

“Teacher, if you have no other instructions, I’ll continue practicing my bow and arrow,” Ye Zhen looked at Teacher Tu and said lightly.

“Humph! Practice archery yourself!” Teacher Tu shot everyone a stern look, turned around, and walked away. He had to ask people to attend to Huang Fuxiang. If something were to happen to her, he could not bring himself to give an explanation to the Huang Family.

However, this matter was not going to rest easy. After Huang Fuxiang returned home, she whined to her mother. When Madam Huang heard that her daughter was threatened in such a way, she immediately went to the academy demanding that Ye Zhen be brought to justice.

The incident alarmed the headmaster. He was a petite and serious old man with grizzled hair past the age to realize his destiny. After hearing Madam Huang’s complaints, he gently nodded. “There really cannot be such cruel and cold-blooded students in this academy. Summon Lu Yaoyao.”

[T/N: Realize his destiny- a phrase in the Analects of Confucius, it means knowing the truth of the changes in the world and everything else, conforming to it. This is typically a person is in his fifties, and hence used as a metaphor.]

“Headmaster, Lu Yaoyao is… Wang Fei Lu’s cousin.” The teacher beside him called his attention in a whisper.

The headmaster said angrily, “No matter whose sister she is, it is not good to do such things to hurt her classmates. This academy cannot let such students remain.”

“What kind of students cannot stay?” Qi Jin walked in with a smile. She glanced at Madam Huang and her daughter, greeted the headmaster with a bow, and said, “Headmaster, I heard that today some students shot arrows behind others’ backs?”

“Imperial Physician Qi, you’ve come just in time. We were just talking about that matter. Today, Lu Yaoyao hurt people with her arrows. This incident must not be tolerated. I have come to a resolve to expel Lu Yaoyao,” the headmaster said with a stern voice.

“Did she now?” Qi Jin faintly smiled, looking at Huang Fuxiang, who was still pale and had been hiding behind Madam Huang. “Lu Yaoyao shot an arrow at you secretly behind your back?”

“She shot an arrow at me while I was unprepared…” Huang Fuxiang grievingly replied.