CHAPTER 158: CHAPTER 136 SEMESTER (4K)_2

In the eyes of those within the Imperial Palace, even if Li Leqing wished to make friends with a commoner, it should be with an Academic Palace Disciple, not the maidservant of an Academic Palace Disciple—it would be shameful for the Royal Family if word got out.

"So it is. I’ve been careless."

Li Leqing lowered her face and gently brushed the flowers in the flowerbed, speaking with a hint of melancholy, "Please, Li Ang, help me pass a message to Cui Qiao. I am very sorry, and I won’t do this again."

The atmosphere became oppressive for a moment. Indeed, in a sense, Li Leqing, as Princess Guanghua, didn’t have many friends at the Academic Palace.

Ji Linglang always followed the etiquette of social hierarchy to the letter, keeping even casual conversations within bounds. Qiu Feng, the daughter of the Imperial Physician, cared more about Li Leqing’s health, as her family had been specially instructed by the Emperor and Empress to take good care of Li Leqing.

As for He Fanshuang, she didn’t hold any concept of superiority or inferiority between the Royal Family and commoners; compared to making friends, she preferred reading and studying.

By contrast, Chai Cuiqiao, who had grown up within the deep confines of the palace with little contact with the outside world, had been Li Leqing’s best friend since childhood.

Li Ang considered for a moment, then said, "Actually, if Classmate Leqing doesn’t mind, you can come to Golden City Square to play with Cui Qiao."

"Hmm?"

Li Leqing immediately lifted her head, her bright eyes reflecting the tree shade as she asked in surprise, "Is that possible?"

"If His Majesty and the Empress permit it."

Li Ang nodded. He didn’t much care about Li Leqing’s status as a princess. He just knew that Chai Cuiqiao quite liked being friends with her.

"That would be wonderful! I will tell my father and mother once I get back."

Li Leqing clenched her little fists and waved them in excitement, saying, "Uh, I remember, Risheng, that you don’t like outsiders disturbing you. I won’t bring many guards, and I’ll be sure to be quiet during my visit."

"No problem, no problem."

Li Ang waved his hand to end the conversation and returned to the classroom with a now reinvigorated Li Leqing.

"Risheng."

Yang Yu and the others watched Li Leqing’s cheerful, light-footed back and asked softly, "What were you and Her Highness the Princess discussing just now?"

"Nothing much."

Li Ang casually explained, "...so I just told her she could come to Golden City Square to play with Chai Cuiqiao. Is there a problem?"

"..."

Yang Yu and Li Wei exchanged a complex glance and said, "But she’s a princess. Isn’t that a bit... inappropriate?"

"I don’t have any aspirations to become an official, so it’s not like an Imperial Censor will charge me with leading a maidservant astray and corrupting the princess."

Li Ang spread his hands and said, "If they’re so capable, let them strip me of my noble title."

"Cough, I don’t think any Imperial Censor would dare."

Yang Yu coughed dryly. Joking aside, Li Ang’s invention of Allicin had already become popular among most noble families in Chang’an and Luoyang. It was considered an honor for those of high status to regularly use Allicin, as long as they did not exceed the daily recommended dosage.

Some people’s health had improved, but the smell in their mouths... even eating two or three bars of soap might not completely suppress it.

The Allicin industry was growing to the point where it was too big to fail, and no Imperial Censor would dare to attack Li Ang. The problem, however, was...

Ji Linglang massaged her forehead. "Risheng, I think what Yang Qilang means is, if you have the princess visit your home in Golden City Square, could it negatively affect the public perception of you both?"

"Public perception?"

Li Ang paused, then realized, "Oh, that. A Yu Country Princess is indeed prone to being the subject of gossip."

Ji Linglang shook her head and quipped, "Sometimes I really wonder if you even see a conceptual difference between men and women."

Huh... From a biological standpoint, Homo sapiens have male, female, and sex chromosome abnormalities. From a social and psychological standpoint, there are male, female, agender, bigender, androgynous, cisgender female, cisgender male, pangender, transgender...

Li Ang pursed his lips. Considering the vast amount of information on plastic surgery in his Memory Hall, perhaps no one in this world understood gender better than he did.

Do they even grasp what it means to be decisive, to identify baseless talk, to recognize a lost cause, or to see burgeoning vitality?

"When the time comes, I’ll just tell the princess to be careful and take Chai Chai to play in other parts of Chang’an City."

Li Ang waved his hand, not particularly concerned about this matter.

In Yizhou, one had to tread carefully. However, now that he had been admitted to the Academic Palace and had achievements in malaria prevention and control and Allicin production, he no longer needed to be so concerned about so-called nobles.

The Academic Palace was Yu Country’s largest bastion, its most solid protective umbrella. Hmm... Realizing this, it felt like he could let himself be even freer.

Li Ang shook his head; for now, he was more concerned with the new semester’s courses.

In the National History class, Doctor Wang Wenlun discussed the chaotic wars among various warlords during the late Sui period.

Because many Cultivation Sects participated in these wars, students had to go to the Book Collection Pavilion to consult materials to write their papers.

In the Yu Law class, some students might find it boring, but Li Ang found it quite interesting. He found it interesting how, dating back to the Holy Empress’s period, factional struggles involved sides attacking each other over various cases, using Yu Law provisions as weapons, and the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Justice as battlefields in a war without gunpowder. Even cases of townspeople fighting for decades over a well or a wall could provide Li Ang with new insights.

"The fundamental reason Academic Palace Disciples study Yu Law is not to make you like those Advanced Scholars who go to various places to be officials and govern the common people. It’s to provide you with a new perspective," the old professor of Yu Law spoke solemnly. "Law is a tool to maintain order, and order is the cornerstone of human survival.

Cultivators studying Yu Law can better recognize the various difficulties ordinary people face in life. They can understand that for ordinary families, even a well being seized, a cow stolen, or a hen stolen can cause them endless trouble or even lead them to seek death.

It allows you to understand and sympathize with the feelings of ordinary people, not to become proud of manipulating legal texts after learning Yu Law extensively, gradually losing your humanity.

Some Academic Palace Disciples who took the Yu Law class failed to realize this. As a result, they were arrested for violating Yu Law by disciples I personally taught, and had their academic status revoked."

The old professor’s cultivation level wasn’t high, but he had an imposing presence, commanding respect without needing to show anger.

The institution within the Academic Palace specifically responsible for monitoring students’ behavior and administering various punishments when necessary (akin to a disciplinary department) was led by him.

By the way, the Academic Palace’s internal punishments were quite severe. If a student was found guilty of theft, robbery, or other crimes, having their academic status revoked and all records destroyed was considered a light punishment. More severe cases would result in their Qi Sea being destroyed, their cultivation crippled, being listed on the Academic Palace’s internal wanted list, and eventually being locked in the Academic Palace’s dungeon. Hmm, at least one didn’t have to worry about classmates stealing things in the cafeteria.

As for Mathematics, Military Studies, Agricultural Science, and other courses, there wasn’t much change overall.

Li Ang had just leased a new plot of land in the Agricultural Science class. He planted southern blue mustard and northern rutabaga, both from the cruciferous family. He was waiting to crossbreed these two vegetables to cultivate Chinese cabbage. Once cultivated, he planned to preserve the Chinese cabbage and use it to make pork stew with sour cabbage and vermicelli in winter.

The Hundred Beasts Class was still taught by Doctor Zhang Liang.

Since the new students had gradually reached the Body Concealing Realm, the Hundred Beasts Class could finally go to the back mountains of the Academic Palace to observe some slightly more dangerous Exotic Beasts.

Examples included large yellow weasels that emitted female-like voices and dragged people into holes to eat them. There were also blood-sucking bats with a wingspan of over a meter, nesting in caves, and multi-headed snakes that would eat themselves when hungry.

The more remote the area and the fewer human footprints, the more undiscovered animal, insect, and demon beast species there were. Therefore, many of these Exotic Beasts were brought from places like the Ten Thousand Desolate Mountains and the Endless Sea.

Many students found close contact with various Exotic Beasts terrifying.

Li Ang, on the other hand, found it quite fun, especially when handling various insects; he felt an inexplicable sense of kinship with them. Perhaps in his memories from the Otherworld, he had been a surgeon who liked breeding insects?

As for Painting and Music classes, it was the same old story.

Li Ang’s portraits of people were excellent, while his landscapes and paintings of flowers and birds were somewhat inferior.

As for music, the most popular style in Yu Country was Kucha Music. Li Ang, however, only remembered popular music and anime songs from the Otherworld. He managed to recall and, with difficulty, play a small segment of "Reflection of the Moon in the Second Spring" on the erhu (a two-stringed fiddle). Doctor Zhong Qin, who taught music, evaluated it as having "dreadful playing technique, but the melody itself is emotionally wrenching—sad and indignant, uplifting and compelling, stirring the soul and bringing tears to the eyes." This led Doctor Zhong Qin to suspect that Li Ang harbored some great injustice or deep-seated hatred.

He imagined Li Ang was actually the Prince of West Jing who had accidentally ended up in Yu Country, quietly cultivating in the Academic Palace, waiting to one day return to West Jing to avenge his maternal family and clear their name. It was as if Li Ang were to stage a drama titled, ’The Day I Return to West Jing, All Treacherous Officials Must Die.’ Artists, it must be said, have quite vivid imaginations.

Li Ang’s internal retort to this was: Hello everyone, I am the Prince of West Jing. I have a throne in West Jing waiting for me to inherit, and now I just need one ton of Fine Gold mountain copper as start-up capital to return. Just wire me the money, and once I retake the throne, I will reward you generously. If you’re a Yu Country person, share this! If you don’t share, you’re not a true Yu Country person!