The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 911 - 910: How Did It Change?

"What do you mean by that?" The older brother looked at Wang Yongzhu, questioning with his mouth, but his raised fist slowly lowered.

"Haven’t you heard? They are from Baiyun Academy. Last fall, Baiyun Academy outperformed our Changqing Academy. This year, they suddenly came to Jing County, who knows what their intentions are? Listening to their words, they seemed to discredit Jing County and Changqing Academy. Maybe they are looking to stir up trouble!"

"If, by any chance, you throw a punch, and they accuse you of injuring them, crying that their hand’s broken, leg’s crippled, or their eye’s damaged, they might push the responsibility onto Changqing Academy, falsely accusing it of hiring thugs to harm them. Even if Changqing Academy had many mouths, it wouldn’t be able to explain its way out!"

"Really?" The older brother showed a confused look, could throwing a punch have such severe consequences?

"Who knows for sure? You can’t see through a person’s heart! Baiyun Academy and our Changqing Academy have been at odds for years. Who knows if they’re planning something against us? Whether they are or not, we have to be cautious, right?"

"Besides, anyone with discernment can see what’s going on. We won’t make the first move, nor let them leave. Let’s report to the authorities! Leave it to the Yamen to handle!" Wang Yongzhu knew that this matter involved many parties and could easily turn messy, so it was best to avoid getting hands-on.

Those nearby who were clear-headed also chimed in, "The Scholar’s Lady speaks the truth! Those scholars from Baiyun Academy came here unusually! Just when everything’s fine, they start worrying about trivial matters? Something’s off, it can’t be a good thing!"

"Look at their shifty-eyed, sneaky look, they’re up to no good! They might be here to cause trouble for our Changqing Academy!"

"I heard that Baiyun Academy just happened to outscore us Changqing Academy last year, and now they’re too proud. They imply that Changqing Academy is beneath them and say our Qingzhou Prefecture will soon see Baiyun as number one and Changqing as second! Bah—"

...

The greatest pride of the people of Jing County has always been its famous academies! Especially Changqing Academy!

No other can compare in the entire Qingzhou Prefecture.

Jing County grew from a small riverside town to a county because of Changqing Academy.

The livelihoods of many depend on Changqing Academy. In other words, Changqing Academy practically supports half of the county’s residents.

If Changqing Academy’s reputation is destroyed, it would ruin the entire Jing County and cut off the livelihoods of half the county’s people.

Therefore, regardless of any uncertainties, once they heard they were from Baiyun Academy, the people of Jing County stood united against them.

Even the wives who took advantage earlier knew that their husbands provided for their families by working for the academy. If those Baiyun Academy skunks ruined everything, how would their families survive?

Instantly, they all looked at the few scholars with eyes full of enmity, remembering Wang Yongzhu’s words, so no one made a move yet.

But the words were not polite, with insults flying back and forth, the scholars’ hair getting wet with spit.

Those scholars were anxious too. They were indeed students from Baiyun Academy. Last year, the academy’s top performance flipped the script for the perennial runners-up, filling the academy with pride and enthusiasm.

Recently, it was said that a high-ranking official was on official business in Qingzhou Prefecture and someone brought up Jing County’s Dragon Boat Festival during the Baths Festival. That official, being a native of Qingzhou Prefecture, decided to visit personally upon hearing about such festivities.

Due to this, he asked a few more questions about the scholars of Qingzhou Prefecture and learned that Baiyun Academy had outshined Changqing Academy last year, which piqued his interest.

He suggested that Baiyun Academy should also present a Dragon Boat Team to compete with the academies of Jing County.

The proposal to add a scholarly competition came from this high-ranking official.

Baiyun Academy received this news and was at a loss, as if trouble had fallen from the sky.

With autumn tests approaching, every student was studying day and night. Spending twelve-hour days wasn’t enough, let alone finding time to engage in a dragon boat race.

Moreover, the scholars of Baiyun Academy weren’t exactly physically fit. Asking them to row a dragon boat was almost like a death sentence.

Despite their discontent from top to bottom, they couldn’t defy authority and resignedly put together a team to Jing County to familiarize themselves with the field.

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