Volume 1, Chapter 15: You bastard, just you wait!

"Hmm, what's wrong? Is class over? I can go home and sleep now!"

Su Chen opened his eyes, feeling dazed. He had woken up far too early today, and he was incredibly drowsy. However, the moment his eyes cleared, he was met with the sight of Master Song’s face, which had turned as dark as Guan Gong’s.

"Su Chen! You are here to receive instruction at the Inner Academy, yet you dare to sleep openly in the classroom!" Master Song was not just furious; his face was so dark he looked as if he had just crawled out of a coal mine. His anger intensified when he noticed that half of the textbook on Su Chen's desk was soaked through with his drool.

"Su Chen, these are the words of the sages! How dare you defile them with such insolence? Put out your hand!" Master Song wasted no time, gripping the disciplinary ruler he hadn't used in ages.

"When did I ever defile the sages' books? I did no such thing!" Seeing the ruler about to strike his palm, Su Chen reached out and grabbed it mid-swing. He quickly explained, "I haven't defiled anything! These are punctuation marks—punctuation marks!"

"Nonsense! What are punctuation marks? This is the book of the sages! These are the words of the sages! You scribble all over them, insulting the sages, and now you have the audacity to lie about it!" Master Song was livid. He snorted and tried to pull the ruler from Su Chen's grasp, but after two tugs, he couldn't move it at all. He huffed two puffs of white air through his nose; to Su Chen, he looked just like a stubborn old ox.

"No, Master, I truly didn't defile the words of the sages. These are sentence breaks. Please, look closely!" Su Chen felt utterly speechless. He picked up the book and shoved it right in front of Master Song’s face.

Su Chen had indeed been on the verge of falling asleep, but he refused to take the blame for desecrating the classics. If such a label were pinned on him, it wouldn't just affect him—it would reflect poorly on his brother, Su Zhongwen. As for the book, he had indeed scribbled a few marks, but only because he couldn't stand that the entire text lacked a single punctuation mark.

In this era, books didn't use punctuation. They were just endless strings of characters from start to finish. The first thing a teacher had to impart was the art of "sentence breaking"—the ability to correctly parse a text. Without mastering this, even if one could read the characters, reading blindly would lead to great ambiguity. Reading a text without breaks is as difficult as reading this very paragraph if it had no punctuation; it severely hinders understanding, let alone trying to read ancient texts tens of thousands of characters long.

***

In the Hall of Justice, Yan Danqing, Zhangsun Yan, and the others stared, dumbfounded, at Su Chen, who was still holding Master Song’s ruler.

"Good heavens, Su Chen is too fierce. He’s even more aggressive than those from the Wu family. Is his brother, Su Zhongwen, really the Minister of Justice? Why does he act more untouchable than a prince?"

"Heh, who knows? But we’re definitely in for a show today. Maybe the Libationer will be here soon!" The students kept their eyes peeled, unable to believe what was unfolding.

The primary mission of the Inner Academy was the education of students, so word of the incident in the Hall of Justice flew straight to Guo Qingshu.

Guo Qingshu, draped in a fur robe, had been brewing tea and reading. The Inner Academy was a place for self-cultivation, and having spent twelve years there, he was accustomed to its tranquility. However, when two instructors came to report that the new student, Su Chen, had gotten into a confrontation with Master Song—one of the six prestigious doctors of the academy—Guo Qingshu spat out the tea he had just sipped.

He never imagined that on his very first day, Su Chen would clash with Master Song. Where did he get the nerve? The Inner Academy was a place of high status; even children of the nobility and royalty followed the rules here. Yet, Su Chen dared to openly challenge a teacher!

"Quickly, let's go! What are you standing there for? We must go see the situation!" The Grand Libationer could no longer sit still. If this matter were exploited by those with ill intent, even Su Zhongwen would be implicated. While the Inner Academy usually stayed clear of court politics, Guo Qingshu had a deep friendship with Yan Liben and was well aware of the political maneuvering the Prime Minister was engaged in. With those plans still hanging in the balance, how could he not be anxious?

***

The Inner Academy was not far from the Imperial Palace—separated, in fact, by only a single wall. News of the incident reached the palace and the ears of Wu Zetian in no time.

In the Empress's bedchamber, the pile of unfinished memorials remained. Shangguan Wan'er was no longer brewing tea but was instead helping Wu Zetian organize the documents. She was the Empress's most trusted advisor not just for her skill with tea, but for her talent and integrity.

When Wu Zetian heard the maid report that Su Chen had confronted Master Song, her expression faltered. Shangguan Wan'er covered her mouth in disbelief, her eyes wide with shock. Was Su Chen crazy, or had he taken the wrong medicine? Clashing with a teacher on his first day? Truly reckless. But upon hearing that it started because he had been sleeping in class, she stopped being surprised. Sleeping in class was hard to imagine, but for the notoriously lazy second son of the Su household, it made perfect sense.

"Wan'er, prepare the carriage. I am going to the Inner Academy!"

Wu Zetian’s face darkened. "Su Chen, you scoundrel. I promoted you to lecture at the Inner Academy just yesterday, hoping you would curb your laziness. I never imagined that on the very first day, you would cause such a massive disaster! Very well, you wretch, just you wait!"