Chapter 109 - The Education Commissioner

Zhou Huaishan was shoved forward by two constables holding him. He staggered a few steps before finally regaining his balance.

"Your Excellency, please investigate thoroughly, this humble citizen truly doesn’t know what crime I’ve committed!"

Heaven knows, he was just at home, studying hard and bettering himself!

Heaven knows, through two lifetimes, he never thought he’d actually be motivated to study hard!

Heaven knows, in the past, all he ever worked hard at was playing!

Outside, Zhou Qing was fuming with anxiety.

All around her were people whispering and pointing.

"Never thought the one who harassed the students would be Zhou Huaishan."

"Right? And to think when he competed with Zhao Dacheng back then, we were all rooting for him!"

"Do you think… something’s off about this? Zhou Huaishan doesn’t seem like that kind of person."

"You can never really know someone. Just because he looks like a good teacher doesn’t mean he didn’t do it!"

The murmuring was making Zhou Qing feel dizzy and unsteady.

Her father… harassed students? What the heck!?

The magistrate banged the gavel again, quieting the crowd outside.

"This official asks you, Wang Le, Gao He, and Chen Guang are they students at your Huaishan Academy?"

Zhou Huaishan squinted and thought seriously for a moment.

"Your Excellency, please look into this. Although Huaishan Academy was funded by this humble one, I hardly ever went there myself, so I don’t actually know these students."

The magistrate gave him a cold glance. "Bring forth the plaintiffs!"

The threat baton pounded rapidly against the floor. With the constables shouting "Make way!" three students were brought into the hall.

Zhou Qing recognized them at once, they were the three students the magistrate had mentioned.

They had joined Huaishan Academy after Hu Weiyue left. Because their families were poor, they’d been drawn to the academy’s policy of not charging any fees.

But they hadn’t been there long before winter break started.

Zhou Qing frowned, eyeing the three plaintiffs coldly.

As soon as Wang Le saw Zhou Huaishan, he shrank back in fear, stumbling as if he might fall.

Chen Guang and Gao He quickly grabbed him to steady him.

"This is the county office, with the magistrate present, he won’t dare do anything!" Chen Guang whispered to Wang Le.

Wang Le, face pale, gave a shaky nod.

"What grievance do you have to report?"

The magistrate asked in a stern voice. Chen Guang stepped forward, lifted his hand, and pointed straight at Zhou Huaishan.

"Your Excellency, please hear us out. We, as students, accuse Zhou Huaishan of being an unworthy teacher who forcibly harassed us."

As soon as he spoke, Zhou Huaishan was completely stunned.

He stared at the student, dumbfounded.

"Me? Harass you guys? What would I even see in you? Your pitch-black skin or your puffy eyelids? Your broomstick bodies or your bad breath?"

The disgust in his tone couldn’t have been more obvious.

The magistrate: "...Huh?"

The three students: "...Huh?"

The crowd outside: Pfffft—HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Someone couldn’t help it and burst out laughing.

After speaking, Zhou Huaishan turned to the magistrate. "Your Excellency, please look closely. There are plenty of good-looking kids at Huaishan Academy. Even if I were the worst kind of beast, I’d never choose them! I just couldn't bring myself to do it!"

And truly, he couldn’t bring himself to!

The magistrate looked at Zhou Huaishan, then back at the three students.

It did seem like... he might have a point?

Cough cough, what was he even thinking!?

Maintain your dignity, man!

The magistrate quickly snapped himself out of it and slammed the gavel with a stern expression.

Chen Guang stepped forward. "We beg Your Excellency to stand up for us. If we hadn’t reached the limit of what we could tolerate, we would never accuse our teacher before the court."

Gao He added, "Yes. Huaishan Academy didn’t charge any fees, and we thought we’d found a haven for students. Who knew it would turn out to be a living nightmare."

Wang Le trembled as he said, "For a student to accuse a teacher, if it were false, we’d be ruining our own futures. We’re all scholars. If it wasn’t truly unbearable, how could we do this?"

Even though people had laughed a moment ago, their sympathy still leaned toward the three students.

What student would go mad and accuse his own teacher for no reason?

This could ruin their future.

If the magistrate discovered they were lying, their lives as scholars would be over.

The magistrate scanned the three students, finally settling his eyes on the most articulate one—Chen Guang.

"You say Zhou Huaishan harassed you, do you have any proof?"

The three of them exchanged looks.

Chen Guang said, "We don’t know what kind of proof Your Excellency requires. In a case like this... what even counts as proof?"

As he spoke, he glanced sideways at Zhou Huaishan.

"Someone like him would obviously do such things out of sight. We don’t have evidence, and we don’t know if there are witnesses. But all three of us are victims, and we testify for each other."

As soon as he finished, Gao He added, "Your Excellency, the details are all written in our complaint."

The magistrate gave a small nod.

"This is a serious matter. I cannot determine Zhou Huaishan’s guilt based solely on your statement. Further—"

Before he could finish, three loud gongs rang out behind the crowd.

Following the gongs came a loud announcement: "The Education Commissioner has arrived!"

Immediately, the crowd parted to form a path.

A man dressed in an official robe stepped down from a sedan chair, scanned the crowd, and walked straight into the courtroom.

Upon hearing the announcement, the magistrate was first surprised, then frowned in confusion once he recognized the man. He quickly rose to greet him.

"I was not informed of your arrival—"

The Education Commissioner cut him off coldly, face stern, eyes flashing with anger as he glared at Zhou Huaishan.

"You’re the one who harassed your students?"

Zhou Huaishan stood tall. "I did not."

"Insolence! How dare you not kneel before an official!"

With that, the commissioner’s attendant kicked Zhou Huaishan behind the knee.

Zhou Huaishan cried out in pain and dropped to his knees with a thud.

Zhou Qing's heart clenched at the sight. She tried to rush forward, but was forcefully held back.

The Education Commissioner didn’t spare Zhou Huaishan another glance. Instead, he turned to the crowd.

"I arrived here on a routine inspection and happened to hear of this case. I am furious. Rest assured, I will ensure justice is done for all students!"

He turned to the magistrate. "How do you plan to rule on this case?"

The magistrate stood to the side, bowing. "There is no physical evidence, no witnesses, and no clear motive. Following the proper procedure—"

"Procedure? In a case like this, do you still need a motive? As for witnesses and evidence, Huaishan Academy belongs entirely to him! If he wanted to commit a crime, who could stop him?

I’ve also heard that Huaishan Academy doesn’t charge tuition fees.

Hmph. Where in this country do students not pay fees?

It’s obvious you used the promise of free education to satisfy your vile desires!"

Zhou Huaishan, who had just made the crowd laugh earlier, was now kneeling quietly.

He didn’t say a word in the face of the commissioner’s accusations.

"If you want to follow procedure, fine, I’ll respect your judgment process. But this case has caused a serious public outcry. You must conclude it within three days."

The commissioner finished speaking, and the magistrate immediately agreed.

Chen Guang clenched his fists and stepped forward.

"Lord Hu, our current Prefect, once taught at Huaishan Academy. He and Zhou Huaishan are close. We beg you, Commissioner, to judge fairly and not shield him because of their ties."

His words were sharp and clear: Don’t cover for each other just because you're officials.

Standing outside, Zhou Qing suddenly felt that something about this whole situation was... off.

And Zhou Huaishan’s reaction?

Even more off.

If this were the real, honest Zhou Huaishan, he might be frozen in fear by now.

But this was no ordinary man. He was once a notorious noble playboy.

He’s seen every kind of scene, what could possibly scare him?

So why was he now acting like a quiet little lamb?