Geniuses Were Always So Eye-Catching

A talent—an absolute talent!

Old Master was one of Earl's trusted advisers. In his eyes, even those who passed the imperial examinations did not count as great talents.

Be a little smarter, work a little harder, have a little better luck, and one could become a Recommended Man.

True great talent required great wisdom—the ability to see through the essence of things amid a tangle of complications at a glance, just like Young Master Shen.

Only then would one avoid taking the wrong path and leading a family into the abyss.

He had never expected Heaven to give him such an incomparably handsome face, and such an intelligent brain as well.

Old Master decided that he absolutely had to tell Earl about this. He could not let this young master-in-law become a pearl gathering dust.

Class was over, and Old Master was reluctant to part.

In the past, he had always been eager to dismiss class and leave, because teaching a pack of idiots was simply a waste of time.

But there was no helping it. Young Lord was here, so he could not just find anyone to teach him.

Yet Young Lord was an especially hopeless idiot. Teaching him such profound wisdom was like playing the lute to a cow.

Only fine jade like Shen Lang could let every teacher enjoy the beauty of teaching and nurturing students.

After class, Young Lord Jin MuCong looked at Shen Lang with some jealousy and said, "Shen Lang, do you usually have any friends?"

"No," Shen Lang said.

Jin MuCong said, "Then why do you think you have no friends?"

Shen Lang said, "I'm too handsome and too outstanding. I make everyone else look dim and colorless. People are always jealous of me, so how could I possibly have friends?"

Young Lord Jin MuCong could not help clenching his fists.

For some reason, I really want to hit someone.

But when he recalled the names of enemies Shen Lang had written on the wall yesterday, Young Lord immediately chickened out. Then, puffing up in anger, he said, "I'm not sitting with you anymore."

Jin MuCong moved to a seat in the back, leaving Shen Lang sitting alone in the front.

The group of young people around them began pointing and whispering again.

"Hmph, what's he showing off for? If he were really that capable, why wouldn't he take the imperial examinations himself?"

"Exactly. Only people with no ability become live-in sons-in-law."

"He's just a pretty boy living off a woman. What's so impressive about that?"

Listening to these words, Shen Lang could not help feeling helpless.

It seemed that my reputation for magnanimity has not spread yet. These nameless green leaves actually have no fear of me.

This won't do...

Next came arithmetic class.

This was not tested in the imperial examinations, and many academies did not teach it.

But academies run by noble families were often more practical, cultivating specialized talents generation after generation.

Thus, arithmetic was not only taught at Xuanwu Earl's Manor Academy, but considered extremely important.

As one of Earl's advisers, Xu Wenzhao managed the inflow and outflow of the Earl's Manor's money, grain, and supplies. He was a steward with enormous authority.

Having held power for so long, he had become arrogant and looked down on everyone.

Moreover, those proficient in arithmetic usually were not very good at dealing with people. Their temperaments tended to be rather eccentric.

Xu Wenzhao was no exception.

As the finest arithmetic scholar in Xuanwu City, he naturally became the arithmetic teacher at the Earl's Manor.

The moment he entered the classroom, he saw Shen Lang.

There was no helping it. Shen Lang was so handsome that wherever he went, he stood out like a crane among chickens.

Then a trace of gloom flashed through Xu Wenzhao's eyes.

The sharp-witted Shen Lang noticed it at once. He was exceptionally perceptive. This Xu Wenzhao harbored hostility toward him—deep hostility.

Why? Jealousy?

No. Xu Wenzhao was already in his fifties. It was impossible for him to harbor any fantasies about Jin MuLan. For someone who worked with mathematics, whether he could even get it up at his age was a question.

Besides, Shen Lang had never crossed paths with him, nor did they have any direct conflict of interests.

Shen Lang decided to keep observing.

After Xu Wenzhao entered, only his first glance at Shen Lang had contained concealed hostility. After that, he said nothing and made no move against Shen Lang.

He began the lesson.

Shen Lang grew drowsy as he listened, because what Xu Wenzhao taught was simply too easy—entirely at the level of fifth-grade arithmetic.

It was all multiplication and division.

Thus, Shen Lang's mind naturally wandered far away.

"Shen Lang, stand up!" Xu Wenzhao, who was lecturing at the front, suddenly let out a fierce shout.

The shout came abruptly, loud and piercing.

Shen Lang was fine, but the other students who had been dozing off were startled awake and fell flat onto the floor.

Shen Lang rose from his seat.

Holding a ruler, Xu Wenzhao walked up to Shen Lang and said coldly, "Hold out your hand. Ten strokes."

Shen Lang had figured it out. Xu Wenzhao was not deliberately plotting to harm him. It was simply the resentment and hostility in his heart.

And having held power at the Earl's Manor for so long had made him increasingly arrogant. He acted directly and did not care for subtlety.

If Shen Lang's guess was right, he had probably blocked Xu Wenzhao's path? Shen Lang continued analyzing and deducing at high speed.

Then was it possible that Xu Wenzhao was related to one of Wang Lian, Mo Ye, and Jin Shiying?

Shen Lang had defeated five men to become the Earl's Manor's live-in son-in-law, ruining Xu Wenzhao's plans. Was that why Shen Lang had become a thorn in his eye?

Could this man also have been the one who incited Young Lord Jin MuCong to beat Shen Lang yesterday? If so, his method of revenge was far too crude and simple.

In truth, Xu Wenzhao really was that narrow-minded. He had been cultivated by the previous Earl and had very senior standing.

Furthermore, he had extraordinary talent in arithmetic. For more than twenty years, he had kept every account of the Earl's Manor in impeccable order. Earl and his wife were not skilled with money and accounts, so they relied on him more and more, and could only tolerate his eccentric temperament.

This made Xu Wenzhao increasingly overbearing.

Forget Shen Lang—even Young Lord Jin MuCong got his palms struck whenever Xu Wenzhao felt like it.

"What are you standing there for? Hold out your hand!" Xu Wenzhao barked at Shen Lang. "You truly are rotten wood that cannot be carved. Ten strokes will teach you a proper lesson."

His words sounded righteous enough, and a teacher striking a student was only natural.

But among the dozen or so people in class just now, almost none had been listening seriously. Half of them had even fallen asleep.

You don't hit them, yet you come specifically to hit me. Isn't this taking the chance to retaliate? Shen Lang said, "Teacher, I neither slept in class nor whispered with others and disrupted order. Why are you hitting me?"

Xu Wenzhao snapped, "If you do not listen attentively in class and let your soul fly away while your mind wanders, should you not be punished?"

Shen Lang said, "But I already know everything you are teaching, Teacher. There is no need for me to listen so carefully, is there?"

The moment those words came out, even Xu Wenzhao froze.

He had taught at the Earl's Manor for many years. No matter how inattentive a student was, they had always treated him with utmost respect.

Xu Wenzhao struck when he wanted to strike and scolded when he wanted to scold.

Even Young Lord Jin MuCong had been struck by him more than three or five times.

When Earl learned of it, he would only say one thing: "Good beating. Keep beating!"

Respecting teachers and honoring the Way was not just empty talk.

Yet Shen Lang, a mere live-in son-in-law, actually dared to talk back? "You dare talk back?" Xu Wenzhao's face twisted somewhat as he said coldly, "Then it will no longer be merely ten ruler strokes. Thirty strokes, then kneel before Confucius for three hours!"

Shen Lang said, "Forgive me, but I cannot comply!"

At once, more than a dozen admiring yet complicated gazes came from behind him.

Xu Wenzhao was the fiercest teacher. No one had expected Shen Lang to be so bold that he actually dared to talk back.

"Haha..." Xu Wenzhao laughed in extreme anger and roared, "Sure enough, you are stubbornly incorrigible—a vile wretch without learning or skill! So arrogant, so lawless! Let us see how Earl punishes you. Just you wait!"

Smack!

Xu Wenzhao slammed his ruler viciously onto the desk, snapping it cleanly in two. Then he strode straight out of the classroom to complain to Earl.

Young Lord Jin MuCong's face turned somewhat pale. He walked forward and said, "Shen Lang, you're finished this time. Your backside will be beaten into blossoms—at least thirty lashes."

Shen Lang said, "Has Teacher Xu Wenzhao always been like this?"

Jin MuCong nodded helplessly. He himself had been beaten by Xu Wenzhao seven or eight times.

"He is the living ledger of our Earl's Manor. Many accounts of money and property are stored in his head, and Father relies heavily on him," Jin MuCong said. "His temper is extremely volatile, and many people in the manor fear him."

That was no surprise. People proficient in mathematics usually had low emotional intelligence.

Shen Lang said, "Was he the one who urged you to hit me yesterday?"

Jin MuCong hurriedly shook his head. "I can't say. If I say it, I won't be loyal."

You fool, there is no need to say it.

Shen Lang asked, "What relationship does he have with Wang Lian, Mo Ye, and Jin Shiying?"

Jin MuCong said, "He is the uncle of Wang Lian's cousin, and he is also a distant relative of my mother."

Wang Lian—the young Recommended Man and Chief Registrar in charge of criminal justice in Xuanwu City.

Now the truth was laid bare.

Sure enough, Shen Lang had blocked Xu Wenzhao's path. Originally, his nephew Wang Lian was supposed to become the Earl's Manor's son-in-law, but Shen Lang had stolen the position. No wonder Xu Wenzhao regarded Shen Lang as a thorn in his flesh.

Shen Lang said, "This man is truly narrow-minded and repays every slight."

At once, the chubby Jin MuCong shot Shen Lang a sidelong glance.

You have the nerve to say that? Between the two of you, who is more narrow-minded? Don't you have any idea yourself? Still, this chubby fellow was quite loyal, and quickly began offering Shen Lang advice.

"Shen Lang, hurry and beg my mother for mercy. My father is the most old-fashioned person alive, and he cannot stand people who do not respect teachers and honor the Way. As long as Teacher Xu complains about you, Father will definitely whip you. Or you can leave and hide for a while—hide in my sister's military camp." Jin MuCong still had lingering fear as he said, "Thirty lashes are enough to keep you in bed for half a month."

What a joke. Would such a trivial matter require begging Mother-in-Law for mercy? She would look down on me.

Being looked down on by Mother-in-Law was a small matter. Being looked down on by my beloved wife was the real problem. If a woman looked down on you, you would truly never be able to hold your head up again.

If I, Shen Lang, cannot even crush a wild accountant with a flawed personality, then there is no point in me staying at the Earl's Manor.