After Li Huai’gu left, Chen Yi was "forced" to write two calligraphy pieces.

One in Wei Qing’s Style, and one in Cursive Script.

Every character bloomed with elegance, wreathed in a radiant glow that brightened the study, which had been left dim by the overcast sky.

This made Mr. Yue Ming so delighted he couldn’t stop smiling, repeatedly praising the work.

However, after only a moment of admiration, he hastily rolled up the calligraphy, placed it in a box like a precious treasure, and deliberately hid it on the bottom shelf of his desk.

Seeing Chen Yi’s slightly odd look, Mr. Yue Ming explained in a low voice, "The other instructors at the academy are all shameless old coots."

"If they see these, they’ll inevitably come and trouble you for some. I’m doing this for your own good."

Chen Yi privately pursed his lips. ’He’s just hogging them for himself, but as for his excuse... it’s actually pretty good.’

Chen Yi didn’t like trouble to begin with.

Besides, with so many things on his plate recently, the less trouble, the better.

Afterward, Mr. Yue Ming, in his capacity as the head of the academy, gave him a tour of the grounds.

They visited the library, the study halls, the zither room for practicing the Six Arts of a gentleman, the archery range, the riding grounds, and so on. It took half a day to see everything.

Chen Yi gained a general understanding of Guiyun Academy’s situation.

If nothing else, based on the scale of its book collection and the layout of its academic buildings alone, Guiyun Academy could probably rank in the top twenty in the Wei Dynasty.

The only academies with larger grounds, more impressive buildings, and more extensive book collections were those with long, storied histories.

Such as Jinling Academy, Donglin Academy, and Yu Mountain Academy in Jiangnan Prefecture, as well as Yuelu, Bailu Academy, and Great Liang Academy in the heart of the Central Plains.

Most of these were places where great Confucian scholars and famous masters gave lectures, and they had always been revered by countless students who considered it an honor to be admitted.

However, Chen Yi only had a vague impression of these places and had never seen them himself, so he just considered them to be more famous than Guiyun Academy.

「At noon.」

Mr. Yue Ming took Chen Yi to the academy’s dining hall to sample the vegetarian meal.

The food wasn’t particularly good, but it was enough to fill one’s stomach.

But it had one obvious advantage—it was free.

"Our Guiyun Academy currently has eight hundred students. The youngest is eleven, while the oldest is thirty-one."

"Although most of them come from the scholarly families of Shu State, there are also one or two hundred from poor backgrounds. The annual tuition is already a burden for them, so it would be wrong to let them be distracted from their studies by hunger."

Seeing Mr. Yue Ming speak so earnestly, Chen Yi smiled and said, "That’s wonderful. You’ve been very thoughtful, sir. I’m impressed."

Mr. Yue Ming looked pleased. Just as he was about to speak, he saw several other instructors walking over and waved them over to introduce them to Chen Yi.

"This is Zhuo Ying. He’s in charge of teaching the classics and histories. His knowledge is no less than my own."

"I am Chen Yi, courtesy name Qingzhou. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Zhuo Ying."

"No need for such formalities. When Yue Ming first proposed inviting you to be an instructor at the academy, I was also in favor of it."

A short, stout, and kind-faced old man nearby interjected, "Qingzhou, don’t listen to him. At the time, he was going on about how young you were." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"...I haven’t had a game with you in a while. Tomorrow, I’m going to crush you on the Go board until not a single piece is left standing!"

"Why wait for tomorrow? I’ll be waiting for you later."

From this point on, the originally elegant and scholarly atmosphere took a sudden turn.

The other instructors chimed in, some supporting Mr. Zhuo Ying, others backing the kind-faced old man.

In an instant, Chen Yi, the new instructor, seemed to have become invisible.

Even Mr. Yue Ming, the head of the academy, was ignored, a strained smile on his face.

"Qingzhou, you’ve just arrived at the academy. Some things aren’t quite as they appear on the surface... ahem."

Chen Yi watched the instructors bicker and nodded with a smile. "Actually, I quite like this kind of academic atmosphere."

Perhaps because Shu State was far from the heart of the Central Plains, the instructors here weren’t all stuffy old pedants.

Starting with Mr. Yue Ming, besides their scholarly pursuits, the instructors also played chess, practiced calligraphy, and played the zither in their leisure time.

Based on this alone, Chen Yi felt he could fit in quite well.

’If the academy built a pond and stocked it with some fish, adding fishing as a recreational activity, I believe I could stay here for quite a while longer.’

Of course, for now, this was just a thought.

After all, he had only been at the academy for a day. It wouldn’t be too late to bring it up after he got to know everyone better.

「After noon.」

Chen Yi followed Mr. Yue Ming to several study halls where students were present, officially announcing that he had become an instructor.

The younger students were fine, mostly just curious.

But the gazes from a few of the older students were another matter.

Most looked at him with surprise and suspicion, while a small minority regarded him with outright disgust.

Taking a closer look, Chen Yi laughed to himself.

Those students who detested him were none other than the so-called scholars who had appeared at Li Huai’gu’s wedding banquet.

Among them were the two students who, because of him, had been punished by Mr. Yue Ming to copy the academy’s regulations a thousand times.

’If I were in their shoes, I’d probably detest me too.’

Chen Yi saw this but simply smiled and dismissed it.

He had come to Guiyun Academy not only because of Mr. Yue Ming’s earnest invitation and the encouragement of his wife Xiao Jinghong, Xiao Wan’er, and others, but more importantly, he hoped to use his position here to build a good relationship with Li Huai’gu.

Everyone and everything else was irrelevant to him.

After Mr. Yue Ming finished the announcements, he had Chen Yi draft an employment contract with him.

After it was signed and thumb-printed, it was sealed and stored away.

Mr. Yue Ming said hesitantly, "The academy isn’t wealthy. The monthly salary is only one tael of silver. I hope you won’t find it too little, Qingzhou."

Chen Yi smiled and said, "You’re too kind, sir."

"Wealth is a worldly possession; I don’t place much importance on it."

Not to mention the monthly allowance he received from the Marquis’s Mansion and his pay from the Shopkeeper of Jishi Medicine Hall, the monthly income from Hundred Herbs Hall alone was enough for him to lie back and count his money.

He wasn’t short on money at all.

However, Mr. Yue Ming didn’t know this and simply took him for a man of noble character, praising him generously.

Once all this was settled, it was nearing dusk. Chen Yi asked Mr. Yue Ming for a cup of tea, they chatted for a bit, and then he rose to take his leave.

Before he left, Mr. Yue Ming reminded him, "Qingzhou, your first class is scheduled for three days from now. Remember to prepare for it."

Chen Yi nodded. "Rest assured, sir. I have it under control."

It was only teaching calligraphy; for him, it wasn’t a difficult task.

Besides, the Great Wei placed great importance on the imperial examinations, which meant focusing on policy essays, classics, and histories. Most academies didn’t attach much importance to peripheral subjects like calligraphy.

In fact, most academies didn’t even have a dedicated calligraphy instructor.

From this point, it wasn’t hard to see how highly Mr. Yue Ming regarded him—or rather, how much he "adored" his calligraphy.

After bidding farewell to Mr. Yue Ming, Chen Yi left directly.

Along the way, he naturally encountered some students who had heard the news and bowed to him.

"Greetings, Mr. Qingzhou."

"No need for formalities."

"Student..."

He had to admit, the feeling of having people bow respectfully to him wherever he went was quite enjoyable.

However, once he stepped out of Guiyun Academy, the sight of Kangning Street in the rain brought him back down to earth.

The passersby hurried along; forget bowing to him, most didn’t even spare him a glance.

Chen Yi held his oil-paper umbrella, glanced at the sky where only a light drizzle remained, and gave a self-deprecating smile.

"One wall separates two different worlds."

"Time to face reality."

The "reality" in Chen Yi’s eyes was none other than the Xiao Family’s current situation.

Thus, after a brief pause, he started walking toward Fengchun Building.

Evening was still an hour away, so he had plenty of time.

Chen Yi ambled along, stopping now and then. When he saw a trinket that caught his eye, he would pause to examine it closely.

He even bought some study supplies to take back and use as decorations.

With his casual and leisurely air, anyone who saw him would have just taken him for a scholar out for a stroll.

Just like all the other talented scholars and beautiful ladies on Kangning Street.

Before long, Chen Yi arrived outside Fengchun Building and immediately spotted a carriage at the entrance bearing the red flag of the Xiao Family.

Then he saw Ge the Third, sitting at the front of the carriage, dangling one leg and looking around.

Chen Yi glanced at the sky, puzzled.

It was now less than ten minutes before evening. Why was Ge the Third so unhurried?

Puzzled, Chen Yi walked over and clapped him on the shoulder. "Ge the Third."

Ge the Third turned, and upon seeing him, seemed to let out a sigh of relief. "Young Master, you’re not at the mansion at this hour. What are you doing strolling around here?"

Chen Yi could feel Ge the Third tense up for a moment, but he just smiled and explained:

"I went to visit Mr. Yue Ming during the day and ended up staying at the academy a little long."

"But it was for a good reason. Your Young Master is now an instructor at Guiyun Academy."

Ge the Third was stunned for a moment, then forced a smile. "Congratulations, Young Master. With your knowledge, becoming an instructor at Guiyun Academy is a simple matter."

Chen Yi nodded and asked, "Are you waiting for someone? If it’s convenient, could you give me a ride back to the mansion later?"

Ge the Third hesitated for a moment. "Master Dongchen asked me to pick him up here this morning. I’m afraid it might not be convenient."

"Uncle Dongchen? Don’t worry, I’ll go speak with him..."

He never finished his sentence.

Chen Yi saw a screen of light materialize before his eyes—

[Opportunity +10.]

[Evaluation: The person has arrived, yet their voice is unheard and the scene is unseen. When an opportunity falls from the heavens, you do not take it. This is the mark of an inherently lazy person.]

After reading it, Chen Yi calmly changed the subject. "On second thought, it really isn’t appropriate."

With that, he patted Ge the Third’s shoulder and walked toward Fengchun Building.

"I hear the iced sticky rice cakes here are quite good. I’m going to get some to go for Wuge to try."