allonlinenovel Chapter 199 Dare to ask
Chapter 199 Dare to ask
"May I ask this young man, have you paid the tuition fee to study at Yunlu Academy?" Shen Qingyu's eyes were cold and ruthless as he glanced at him, and he seemed to be intimidating him.
Has he ever offended this person? Why did this elegantly dressed young man look so fierce that he wanted to kill him? Xu Mingsheng was puzzled, but he was also a little scared by Shen Qingyu's look. "Of course he has."
Yunlu Academy is one of the best academies in Jiangnan. Xu Mingsheng tried his best to get admitted to this academy. Although the Xu family had no money at the moment, in order not to be looked down upon by outsiders, he pretended to be rich and had the best food, clothing and other expenses. He even paid more than the average student for the tuition.
He worked so hard to maintain the image of a nobleman that finally the students at Yunlu Academy, especially those from poor families, would call him "Mr. Xu" when they saw him.
Xu Mingsheng always believed that he would pass the imperial examination and bring honor to his family. Logically, as he valued fame so much, he should have been on the side of Master Huo, but he chose Master Du, who was indifferent to fame and fortune. Perhaps this was the cleverness of Xu Mingsheng. He wanted to gain fame, but he also wanted to be known as a noble gentleman. Moreover, most importantly, Master Du was friends with the Governor of Jiangnan. At the end of each year, the Governor of Jiangnan would come to Yunlu Academy to inspect students. Master Du would recommend the students of Yunlu Academy to the Governor. If the Governor was satisfied, he would recommend them to the court. Xu Mingsheng would try his best to get such a good opportunity.
"Where did the young master get the money from?" Shen Qingyu sneered.
"My family has some assets, including fertile fields, estates, several mansions, and thousands of servants..." Shen Qingyu's gaze was so sharp that Xu Mingsheng began to feel guilty. The look in this young lady's eyes was too terrifying, as if she could see through everything he said at a glance.
Senior Brother Xu's family is so rich! As soon as Xu Mingsheng finished boasting, some of the students present were envious. No wonder Senior Brother Xu usually spends money like water and is hospitable and generous. It turns out that Senior Brother Xu is a young man from a wealthy family.
A few generations ago, the Xu family in Linzhou was just as Xu Mingsheng had said, with hordes of servants and houses that almost occupied an entire street in Linzhou. But by Xu Mingsheng's generation, all the houses and good fields that could be sold had long been sold, and the hordes of servants had long since been dismissed.
The students present were all dumbfounded when they heard Xu Mingsheng talk about the luxurious life in the mansion. Moreover, Xu Mingsheng's words were very convincing, so they did not doubt it.
The sneer on Shen Qingyu's face grew bigger and bigger. "There are countless aristocratic families in Jiangnan, and there are many Xu families. I wonder if you are from the Xu family of Xuanzhou or the Xu family of Runzhou?"
Just one sentence made Xu Mingsheng's face change drastically. He thought to himself that it was not good. This young master actually set a trap for him to fall into.
The entire Jiangnan region belonged to these two Xu families, who were quite famous. It was also his fault that he got too carried away with his boasting and forgot to restrain himself.
"My father once warned me that when I go out to study, I should not be too ostentatious, and I should not use the family's reputation to bully others. I have been taught by my father since I was a child, and I must obey my father's last words. Therefore, I hope this young master will forgive me." Xu Mingsheng apologized a little, neither admitting nor denying, but deliberately let the people present mistakenly think that he was from the two major Xu families. Even if he was exposed in the future, he could shirk his responsibility cleanly, because he didn't say anything anyway.
"If Master Xu doesn't want to talk, then forget it. I won't force him. Master Xu has been following the family teachings since he was young, not to talk too much, so as not to be too conspicuous and attract the covetousness of villains. After all, wealth should not be exposed to others. I understand this principle."
Shen Qingyu pretended to be nonchalant, but these few seemingly casual words startled all the students present. Students who could enter Yunlu Academy to study were all smart people, so how could they not hear the hidden meaning of Shen Qingyu's words? Yes, since it cannot be publicized everywhere, then isn't it contradictory to say how many servants and land deeds there are in the mansion just now?
All the students present were suspicious. Was this Senior Brother Xu really the son of a noble family? Judging from his usual attire and conversation, he looked somewhat like one. But what this junior brother said made sense. Since so much had been said, why bother hiding his own mansion? Just like Senior Brother Nanrong, who was born into the Nanrong family, the most noble family in Jiangnan, he was never seen to be half-hidden about it. So, no matter how prestigious the Xu family was, could it compare to the Nanrong family, a century-old prestigious family?
"My lord, I have never met you before, and we have no grudges against each other. Why do you have to be so aggressive to me!" Xu Mingsheng's face turned red and white when his lie was exposed on the spot. Where did this immature kid come from? Why did he go against him in everything and talk in a way that was linked to his words? If he was not careful, he would be fooled by him and fall into the trap he set. It was really scary that he was so meticulous at such a young age.
"It is said that people with books have open minds and can tell others everything. What's the matter, Mr. Xu, are you feeling guilty?" If she doesn't expose the true face of this hypocrite today, wouldn't she be wasting this great opportunity given to her by God in vain? Xu Mingsheng, if you have the ability to lie, then why don't you find a way to cover it up?
"Shen Ziqing, you are not allowed to be rude to Senior Brother Xu!" The scholar who had just brought Shen Qingyu here spoke up to defend Xu Mingsheng. Although Young Master Nanrong was Master Du's favorite student, he had always been a loner and rarely appeared in the lecture hall of the academy. Therefore, Xu Mingsheng became the tacit first disciple of Master Du now. Shen Qingyu mocked and embarrassed Xu Mingsheng, and those students who usually admired Xu Mingsheng's talent were naturally unhappy. Senior Brother Xu was a kind-hearted person and extremely knowledgeable. How could he be a liar as described by this little junior brother?
Master Huo was bent on finding something to hold against Master Du, and now seeing Xu Mingsheng's evasive words, he was overjoyed. Although the kid surnamed Shen didn't buy his account, he also helped him secretly. If this stubborn old disciple had bad intentions, how could this stubborn old man continue to be the dean of Yunlu Academy?
"Xu Mingsheng, where are you from? Isn't it inconvenient to tell me?" After all, Master Huo was the teacher of Yunlu Academy. Even if Xu Mingsheng had ten times the courage, he would not dare to not answer his question.
If he told where his ancestral home was, his identity as a poor kid would be exposed. Xu Mingsheng panicked and stammered, "Student... I am..."
"The Xu family of Linzhou." Xu Mingsheng didn't dare to say it, but Shen Qingyu said it for him.
Since Xu Mingsheng is so concerned about his reputation and likes to pretend to be a young man from an aristocratic family, she will gradually expose his true identity as a fake young man and see if he still has the nerve to stay in Yunlu Academy!
"How do you know!" Xu Mingsheng's face was extremely ugly, his eyes were wide open with fear. How could this Su Ziqing know so much about his origins?
Coming from Linzhou to Yunlu Academy to study, he thought he had hidden his identity perfectly. Plus, there were only a few students in Linzhou who could be admitted to Yunlu Academy, and only one appeared every few years. Just based on this, he dared to tell everyone in Yunlu Academy that he came from a noble family, that his mansion had countless wealth, and that he was rich enough to rival a country. Anyway, Jinling Prefecture was far away from Linzhou, and these young masters of noble families, who lived a life of luxury in the mansion, would never go to the trouble of investigating his background. Isn't this just looking for trouble?