The first day of school.
In the eastern courtyard, Nanny Yang, with dark circles under her eyes, checked Lu Chao's schoolbag over and over. Qingshan was so nervous he made several trips to the outhouse, earning him a scolding from Nanny Yang for being useless. Who ever heard of a servant accompanying his young master to school on his very first day of work? He was terrified of making a mistake!
While the emperor remained unhurried, the eunuchs were in a frenzy—Lu Chao was still leisurely slurping his noodles.
"Third Young Master! Second Young Master is about to leave!" Chuncao hurried in with a reminder, her steps quick and light.
Lu Chao set down his chopsticks, rinsed his mouth, and motioned for Qingshan to follow.
Originally, Lady Lu had asked Lu Yuanzhao to take Lu Chao to school, but as luck would have it, Lu Yuanzhao had to accompany Father Lu to Luoyang these past few days. So, Lu Yuanyi volunteered for the task. Though it was framed as "escorting him to school," all he really had to do was deliver Lu Chao to the teacher—Lady Lu had already made all the necessary arrangements.
Along the way, Lu Yuanyi began chattering nonstop.
"Third Brother, Teacher Yang of the Diligence Class is the strictest! If you can't recite your lessons, you’ll get a beating with his cane! Teacher Lu is gentler, but he assigns the most homework. By seniority, Teacher Lu is actually our grandnephew, so if you ever mess up in his class, don’t you dare call him ‘grandnephew’—he’ll tattle on you..."
Lu Chao: "Huh? Does that mean when he gets married, he’ll have to serve us tea?"
Lu Yuanyi was stunned. That made sense! Why hadn’t he thought of that? Ha ha ha ha!
Judging by Lu Yuanyi’s mischievous grin, he was clearly up to no good. Lu Chao asked again, "Is Teacher Yang really that strict?"
Unfazed by the interruption, Lu Yuanyi nodded emphatically. "They say he’s already gone through forty-seven canes!"
Lu Chao waved his little hand and clicked his tongue. Teacher Yang’s ferocity rating: five stars!
The Lu Family Academy was founded by Lu Chao’s great-grandfather after retiring from court. Initially, it was just for the education of the Lu family’s younger generations, but after his son rose to the second rank in officialdom, the academy’s reputation soared, and wealthy families from the surrounding areas began sending their children there.
The Lu Family Academy was divided into three levels: the Diligence Class, the Erudition Class, and the Virtue Class.
The Diligence Class had about twenty students, all around Lu Chao’s age.
The Erudition Class was the largest, with three divisions—A, B, and C. At the start of each month, exams were held, and students were reassigned based on their rankings.
Only those who remained in the A Class for six consecutive months could advance to the Virtue Class, which had fewer than twenty students. Entering the Virtue Class meant truly setting foot on the path to the imperial examinations.
After hearing this, Lu Chao couldn’t help but sigh. Talk about competitive!
But in this lifetime, he had no intention of joining the rat race. He’d already made up his mind: in the Lu family, once a concubine-born son married, he would be given his own household. Though the inheritance wouldn’t be much, it would be enough to live comfortably. He’d start building good relationships with his two elder brothers now so that in the future, no one in Yingchuan City would dare bully him. A small landowner’s life—leisurely and carefree—sounded perfect.
Heh heh heh. Lost in his daydreams, Lu Chao could almost see happiness waving at him. His eyes curved into crescents as he smiled at the teacher.
Teacher Yang: As expected of a child from the main Lu family—calm and composed, a steady young man.
Though Lu Chao was starting school a bit late, it wasn’t a problem since the Diligence Class was full of children who had just begun their education. The pace was slow, so he wouldn’t fall behind.
The moment he stepped into the classroom, all eyes turned toward him.
Lu Chao glanced around—adorable little kids everywhere.
"You’ll sit here from now on," Teacher Yang said, pointing to the second empty desk on the left side near the entrance.
"Yes," Lu Chao replied with a bow.
Qingshan wiped the desk and chair with a handkerchief before letting Lu Chao take his seat.
The chubby boy next to him slowly inched closer, about to speak—
"Ahem!"
The boy looked up to see Teacher Yang’s piercing gaze fixed on him. He immediately straightened up and didn’t dare move again.
The first lesson was Teacher Yang’s class.
Stroking his goatee, he pulled out a copy of the Three Character Classic.
"I’ll read a line, and you’ll repeat after me. ‘Men at their birth, are naturally good.’" His head swayed rhythmically as he recited.
"Men at their birth, are naturally good." The children below dragged out their words in unison, their little heads bobbing along.
Ah, preventing cervical spine problems—start them young.
Lu Chao followed suit, dutifully mimicking the motions.
Just as the swaying was about to lull him to sleep, Teacher Yang finally stopped.
"Now, I’ll check yesterday’s assigned recitation."
A collective sigh filled the classroom.
Especially from the chubby boy next to Lu Chao—even the twin buns atop his head seemed to droop as he muttered under his breath.
Once class ended, the stifling atmosphere vanished, and the room erupted into chaos.
"Are you the Third Young Master of the Lu family? How old are you?"
The chubby boy stood up, looking at Lu Chao. Without waiting for an answer, he dug into his sleeve and pulled out a piece of pastry.
Lu Chao: "I’m seven."
"Want some?"
Seeing the nearly squashed pastry in the boy’s hand, Lu Chao decisively shook his head.
"Then I’m a year older than you. My father is the magistrate of Lishan County. I’m Su Yunzheng—you can call me Brother Su, and I’ll call you Brother Chao. Deal?"
Lu Chao nodded. "Brother Su."
Su Yunzheng choked on his pastry and started pounding his chest. Alarmed, Lu Chao quickly handed him his water flask.
"Whew! Thanks, Brother Chao. You’re a good guy. Everyone else makes fun of me for being fat and won’t play with me, but you didn’t refuse me and even gave me water. From now on—" Before he could finish, a sneering voice cut in.
"Ew! Su Yun-pig almost choked to death on his pastry! Ha ha ha! You’re already so fat, and you’re still eating?"
Lu Chao frowned.
"Skinny Monkey Qin!! You’re just jealous! My grandma says I’m blessed with good fortune. Someone as scrawny as you—does your family not have enough to eat?"
Su Yunzheng wasn’t one to take insults lying down. Setting down the water flask, he fired back.
The two went back and forth, spittle flying. Lu Chao took a step back, observing the other students’ reactions. This clearly wasn’t their first argument—aside from a few onlookers, most were minding their own business.
Elementary school squabbles were just the same few insults recycled. Normally, they’d bicker a bit and then make up, but today, for some reason, Master Qin’s face grew red with anger.
"With how much you eat, your dad must’ve embezzled it all! What honest official has a son this fat?"
Su Yunzheng couldn’t let that slide. With a roar, he swung his fist at Master Qin. His bulk wasn’t just for show—he pinned the skinny boy down, leaving him no room to struggle.
Worried they might seriously hurt each other, Lu Chao rushed to intervene.
"Brother Su, stop! Calm down! Fighting will get you punished by the teacher!"
He tried to pull Su Yunzheng away but quickly realized he couldn’t even wrap his arms around him. The boy’s strength was unstoppable!
"Stay out of it! Today, I’m teaching him a lesson!" Su Yunzheng shoved Lu Chao aside, teeth clenched. He could tolerate insults aimed at himself, but slandering his father? Never! His father worked tirelessly for the people—how dare this Skinny Monkey Qin accuse him of corruption?
"Teacher Yang is coming! Teacher Yang is coming!"
Lu Chao shouted while pulling at Su Yunzheng. Only when Teacher Yang arrived did Su Yunzheng finally relent, and several classmates managed to separate the two.
