A Good Country Wife
Chapter 364 - 358_1

Chapter 364: Chapter 358_1

Lin Yue approached to see Lin Qing surrounded and beaten by several scholars, his nose blue and face swollen, likely also harboring serious injuries. "What are you doing? Have you no respect for the law?" she exclaimed angrily.

"Xiaoyue, how did you get here?" Lin Qing, surprised and worried at his sister’s arrival, didn’t want her to see him in such a wretched state.

"Brother, how are you feeling? Are you alright?" Lin Yue helped Lin Qing up, her voice filled with concern. She planned to take him to see a doctor but intended to seek justice for Lin Qing first, of course, only if his condition allowed. From what she could see, Lin Qing had suffered mostly superficial damage—after all, these were merely scholars, naturally lacking the strength of farmhands.

"Yo, Lin Qing, this must be your sister, indeed very pretty. No wonder Young Master Jiang can’t stop thinking about her. Such a beauty! Miss Lin, why don’t you come with us to meet Young Master Jiang? He has been longing to see you," sneered Liang Wei, Jiang Wenshu’s top lackey at the academy. Liang Wei was privy to his affairs, so he knew all about the Lin sister. Jiang Wenshu was currently infatuated with Lin Qing’s sister. Bringing Lin Yue back would surely delight Jiang Wenshu.

Seeing these men harassing his sister, Lin Qing boiled with rage. "Shut your dog mouths! If you continue to offend my sister, don’t blame me for being impolite!"

"Tsk, tsk, looking like that you want to be impolite to us? Show us what you’ve got," Liang Wei said with disdain, regarding Lin Qing as nothing more than a poor wretch. Initially, he refrained from troubling the poor boy out of respect for Jiang Wenshu. But now that Jiang Wenshu had made his position clear, there was no need for politeness.

"Good, very good, haha!" Lin Yue laughed instead, her laugh laced with sarcasm.

Liang Wei looked at Lin Yue, puzzled. "Is this woman insane?"

"I think she’s happy," said another scholar in green. "After all, she and Brother Jiang have been close since childhood, and she’s been pining for him. Of course, she’s thrilled to meet Brother Jiang."

Lin Qing, seeing his sister behave so out of character, grew anxious. "Xiaoyue, what’s wrong? Why are you laughing?"

Without answering Lin Qing, Lin Yue turned to Liang Wei and the others, "I’ve long heard that Songshan Academy is the best academy in Xin’an City, famous for producing scholars and strict in discipline. Only now do I realize these claims are exaggerated. Here you are, students of Songshan Academy, ganging up on your classmate in broad daylight. Brother, let’s go find the headmaster right now. He will see that justice is done."

Having said this, Lin Yue was ready to take Lin Qing to find the headmaster of Songshan Academy. She had inquired about all the academies for Dalang’s sake and had heard of the Academy’s headmaster’s esteemed reputation. She believed the headmaster would ensure fair justice if he learned of the incident—otherwise, she had her own ways to punish these men.

Liang Wei’s heart tightened when he heard Lin Yue mention seeking justice from the headmaster. He feared they would indeed lodge a complaint, and the old headmaster was known to be unsympathetic and rigid; he would not let them off lightly if he learned of their assault on a fellow student.

"Tsk, tsk, who do you think the dean is? Do you really believe someone like you, an impoverished scholar, would be granted an audience? I’d advise you to not waste your efforts," Liang Wei sought to deter Lin Yue from seeking out the dean through disparagement, but his urgency revealed his intentions. Lin Yue could see that these people were indeed afraid of the dean.

"The dean will decide whether to see us or not once we go and ask. Besides, even if the dean won’t see me, there are other places to seek justice. Brother, let’s go!" Originally, Lin Qing had some intention to keep the peace, which is why he had been forbearing—after all, being an impoverished scholar, albeit with the title of Scholar, meant little at the Songshan Academy. But these individuals had been troubling him not just once or twice, and if he continued to condone their behavior, it might only embolden their arrogance. Therefore, he agreed with Lin Yue’s decision to approach the dean.

Seeing that Lin Qing and his sister were truly intent on finding the dean, Liang Wei and his companions became anxious. Standing in their way, he blurted out, "Don’t you dare. If you go tattling to the dean today, I won’t let you off the hook afterward."

After Liang Wei’s threat, Lin Qing had no plans to back down any more than he already had, especially not when it involved his sister. Jiang Wenshu was coveting Xiaoyue, which is why he kept threatening Lin Qing. If he compromised further, it would be a disservice to her. "Liang Wei, there’s no need to threaten me. Even if I don’t go to the dean, haven’t you always refused to let me be? You’ve pressured me repeatedly—do you think I’ll keep giving in? Dream on!"

"Little sister, let’s go!" Lin Qing, gripping Lin Yue’s hand, attempted to bypass Liang Wei and his cronies to keep moving forward. Despite their efforts, as scholars, they lacked the physical strength, ending up entangled in a struggle where neither side would yield.

Lin Yue watched as Lin Qing and the others jostled each other, her anger flaring. They were truly too bullying. Exerting all her strength, she singled out a slender and shorter figure and performed an over-the-shoulder throw, knocking him to the ground, stunning the bunch. No one had expected Lin Qing’s sister to be so formidable. After all, she was a countryside woman, and quite fierce.

Taking advantage of everyone’s shock, Lin Yue pulled Lin Qing away. She had merely seized a lucky moment—if she were really up against several men, even if they were just scholars, she wouldn’t stand a chance.

Lin Yue had no idea where the dean was located, but thankfully, Lin Qing guided her, preventing her from losing her way. Liang Wei and his group were only stunned momentarily by Lin Yue’s fierceness. They hurriedly followed when they saw Lin Qing and Lin Yue headed toward the dean’s office, intent on stopping Lin Qing from complaining. Even if they couldn’t stop him, they had to try and negate his statements, lest the dean believe Lin Qing’s words without hearing both sides.

When they arrived at the dean’s office, Lin Yue and Lin Qing were stopped outside by a lackey. "This is where the dean conducts his business. What are you doing here? Do you not know your place?"

Indeed, dealing with underlings was always troublesome. Just a lackey tasked with watching the dean’s office was acting so arrogantly. Though Lin Yue inwardly scorned him, she dared not offend him carelessly and said with a smile, "Kind sir, could you please announce us? We need to see the dean for an urgent matter."

"The dean is an important person; you can’t just demand to see him as you like!" The lackey was still very arrogant, looking disdainfully at Lin Qing and his sister. An unknown impoverished scholar fancied seeing the dean simply upon request. If he actually went to announce them, the dean would blame him for lacking discernment. It was no easy feat for him to have obtained this position, and he couldn’t risk it.

"My brother was beaten into this state at the academy. We need to see the dean to seek justice for him; otherwise, our only choice would be to take this matter to the Government Office and ask the Magistrate to decide," Lin Yue declared, her tone becoming firmer.

Upon hearing this, the lackey was even more dismissive. For such a trivial matter, why would the Magistrate bother? They’d probably be kicked out even before entering the government office.