Volume One: A Farmer at Dawn Chapter 48: You Are Not Worthy to Know My Name

“We have a prefecture’s top scholar, but you don’t...”
Zhao Shao’s words struck a nerve in Gongsun Tao, wounding him deeply.
Second place in the prefecture exam was a hurdle he could never overcome; to mention it before him was like a slap in the face.
Gongsun Tao’s face darkened. “What’s so great about being top in the prefecture? Just wait until I take first place in the academy exam—then all you’ll be able to do is look up at me...”
Chuliu treated Gongsun Tao as air, pulling out a book and arranging his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, waiting for the teacher to begin the lesson.
Gongsun Tao’s temper flared even further.
Xie Shuxian’s indifference was the greatest insult to him, so he raised his voice, “Xie Shuxian, let’s make a bet. If I become top in the academy...”
Chuliu cut him off sharply, “Gongsun Tao, the teacher is about to start. Why do you keep prattling on? Where are your scholarly manners? Now I finally understand: you came to study in Xuan County because your conduct was so poor, the academy in Pinyang expelled you...”
Laughter rippled through the room. Gongsun Tao’s face fell as he tried to argue back, only to hear Wu Xing bark, “Another word out of you and you’ll be standing outside!”
The classroom fell silent at once.
Wu Xing began the lesson, teaching from the “Strategies of the Warring States.”
At the county academy, the Four Books and Five Classics still formed the core, but students also studied history, the Hundred Schools, and the Six Arts.
Gongsun Tao was distracted and was soon scolded by Wu Xing, which made him resent Chuliu even more.
After class, Gongsun Tao rushed over to provoke him: “Xie Shuxian, if you’ve got guts, come outside with me, let’s settle this one on one.”
“I’m not interested in fighting with an idiot.”
Chuliu wasn’t afraid of fights, but he had no wish to get into a senseless brawl on his very first day.
Gongsun Tao didn’t know exactly what “idiot” meant, but he sensed it wasn’t a compliment, so he shot back, “You’re the idiot!”
“Who are you calling an idiot?”
“I’m calling you an idiot!”
“Heh.”
Realizing he’d fallen into Chuliu’s trap again, Gongsun Tao was so angry he jumped up, fists clenched.
But when he noticed Su Biao’s tightly balled fists, his urge to fight in the classroom evaporated, and he stormed out in a huff.
Zhao Shao whispered, “Shuxian, what does ‘idiot’ mean?”
“‘Idiot’ is a special term reserved for Gongsun Tao. From now on, anyone can call him that.”
...
The second period was Wen Lan Cang’s class.
He now taught Confucian classics to Qixiu Class A and Mengzheng Class A, the equivalent of a top language teacher in modern terms.

He focused on exam-oriented teaching, tying every topic directly to the civil service examinations.
Wen Lan Cang was now a renowned teacher in Xuan County, and the students listened with rapt attention.
Gongsun Tao intended to calm down and listen, but remembering that Wen Lan Cang’s student had taken the top prefecture spot from him, his mood soured again.
Wen Lan Cang lectured as he pleased, unconcerned whether the students paid attention. As long as they weren’t too disruptive, he didn’t interrupt or reprimand them.
When the morning classes ended, the students raced to the dining hall.
Chuliu and Su Biao, unfamiliar with the layout, followed the crowd. By the time they arrived, the early birds were already feasting.
Even Su Biao, a wealthy young master, was stunned by the dazzling array of dishes. “Shuxian, so much food?” he exclaimed in surprise.
“This is nothing!”
Having experienced the university canteens in his previous life, Chuliu was unfazed. He ordered with practiced ease: “A bit of this, some of that, and that one too...”
In the end, he carried off a tray heaped with a medley of dishes, two eggs, and two white steamed buns.
...
“If only there were a bowl of sweet rice wine soup, this would be perfect!”
Chuliu patted his belly, secretly pleased.
He still held half a bun in his hand—he’d be stuffed if he finished it, but no way would he waste food.
“Xie Shuxian, never seen so much good food before? Truly a country bumpkin, mixing all your dishes together. Doesn’t everything taste weird?”
Chuliu ignored him, calmly chewing his bun.
Su Biao glared. “Gongsun Tao, are you a dog? Why are you baring your teeth and making a scene for no reason? Who provoked you?”
“Su Biao, you understand dog language now? Impressive, mastering a foreign tongue!”
Chuliu chimed in suddenly, giving him a dramatic thumbs-up.
Su Biao caught on instantly, laughing, “I’ve got a disobedient dog at home, so I train it every day. After a while, I’ve picked up some animal speech...”
The two volleyed back and forth, returning all of Gongsun Tao’s mockery.
Driven to fury, Gongsun Tao shouted, “Xie Shuxian, I challenge you! If I lose, I’ll avoid you ever after. If I win, you kneel and bow to me in apology—dare you accept?”
Xie Shuxian swallowed his anger, responding calmly, “Gongsun Tao, we’re from two different counties, meeting for the first time—we’ve never had any conflict. Why are you picking a fight the moment we meet? And now you want me to apologize—just what have I done wrong?”
“You... just being in front of me is wrong!”
“Idiot!”
Chuliu’s patience finally snapped. He cursed, finishing the last bite of his bun.
Smack!

Enraged, Gongsun Tao slapped the bun from Chuliu’s hand onto the table.
Chuliu snatched up an eggshell and flung it at Gongsun Tao’s face.
“Who’s causing a ruckus in the dining hall?”
Wang Ting strode over, face like thunder.
“Headmaster, Xie Shuxian is bullying me just because he’s the prefecture’s top scholar—look, he threw eggshells in my face.”
Gongsun Tao played the villain first, pushing all the morning’s trouble onto Chuliu and accusing him of targeting students from other counties.
“Xie Shuxian, causing trouble on your very first day—do you still want to study at the academy? Don’t think being top of the list means you can act out...”
Wang Ting was the headmaster—Chuliu had no choice but to swallow his frustration.
After Wang Ting finished scolding, Chuliu bowed and explained, “Headmaster, Gongsun Tao is lying. Here’s what really happened...”
“The evidence is right in front of us—what use are your excuses? How dare you talk back—bold indeed...”
Wang Ting cut him off immediately.
He had only come because he heard Gongsun Tao was making trouble in the dining hall; if someone else was involved, he’d have simply dispersed the crowd.
But with Chuliu involved, he wasn’t about to miss the chance to vent his own spleen.
“Are you blind?”
Wang Ting roared in anger, but when he turned, he saw it was a scholar of about fifty who had spoken.
Beside the scholar sat a girl of about ten, watching the commotion with a bright, amused smile.
“Without asking the truth of the matter, you lay all the blame on this young man. Are you fit to be headmaster?”
The scholar was clearly angry, his brows drawn together. “The Gongsun boy was the one provoking and starting the fight—this young man only threw the eggshell in response. Now, you tell me: who’s right and who’s wrong?”
Wang Ting didn’t know the scholar’s identity, but he knew the man was highly respected by the chief examiner.
The scholar had stayed at the academy for over a month, rarely appearing in public. Why was he in the dining hall today?
“And who are you?”
The scholar snorted, “You are not worthy to know my name.”
Wang Ting was humiliated before the students and was thoroughly disgruntled. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Even if you have a lofty status, you can’t interfere in the academy’s internal affairs... this is just blatant bullying...”
“I am bullying you—what can you do about it?”