Two Sides' Reactions

Inside Taihua Academy,

everyone who had stayed behind had gathered in a large conference room,

including Lü Qingjian and his Lin Fan, whom everyone considered the culprits.

One member of Management spoke up:

"Dean, if you ask me, just have Vice Dean Lü bring his disciple to apologize in person, and this whole thing will be over."

"Why make such a fuss over so-called face?"

As soon as he spoke, the others immediately chimed in.

"Exactly! Face isn't worth anything. The academy is nearly finished, so what face is there to save?"

"Forget face. If the Empress investigates, none of us will be able to cover this up."

"It's better to make peace than to make enemies. We should hurry up and apologize, and minimize the damage."

"If we're lucky, perhaps some of those students and teachers will come back, and His Majesty won't look too deeply into it."

Hearing their words, Lü Qingjian burned with fury and slammed his palm on the table.

"Enough! I absolutely will not apologize. I did nothing wrong, so why should I apologize? And what makes Mo Yunxuan, a mere Early Nascent Soul cultivator, worthy of it?"

Hearing the unmistakable emotion in Lü Qingjian's words, Yun Congnan frowned slightly and tapped his fingers on the table.

The surging fluctuations of spiritual energy silenced everyone in the room. Lü Qingjian, in particular, was forcibly dragged out of his anger and back to calm.

Everyone present could clearly sense the undisguised aura radiating from him. He had evidently broken through to the Late Void Refinement Realm.

Though he had only just broken through and his aura was still somewhat unstable, his formidable strength was ultimately what gave everyone who had stayed the confidence to remain.

Seeing the room grow quiet, Yun Congnan looked at Lü Qingjian and said coldly:

"Vice Dean Lü, when all is said and done, this happened because your disciple, Lin Fan, coveted Meng Zhirou, the Wei State Duke's fiancée."

"After investigating the matter from multiple sources, we found that Meng Zhirou had repeatedly said she already had a fiancé. She even stated outright that the Wei State Duke was her husband."

"But Lin Fan continued to pester her, and the frequency increased sharply over the past week. That was also the direct reason Meng Zhirou left the academy and returned to the Wei State Duke Mansion."

"Everyone here already knows what happened after that. I'd like to ask Vice Dean Lü and Student Lin Fan: is anything I've said incorrect?"

Hearing that Yun Congnan had already investigated everything so thoroughly in such a short time, Lü Qingjian no longer had the confidence to argue.

But apologize to Mo Yunxuan? Sorry, things hadn't reached the final step yet, and he wasn't willing to do it!

All he could do was quietly sit back down, saying nothing and voicing his protest through silence.

But he hadn't stopped to think about who his disciple, Lin Fan, was. Lin Fan was a Child of Fortune.

How could a Child of Fortune let his flirtation with a beautiful woman become nothing more than one-sided harassment? He couldn't afford to lose face like that.

Besides, he firmly believed that Meng Zhirou had only obeyed Mo Yunxuan because she was being coerced.

What Lin Fan despised most were spoiled young masters who coerced women, and he swore he would fight them to the bitter end.

He swept his gaze over everyone present. Aside from his master, not one person had spoken up for justice. It was simply heartbreaking!

Lin Fan stood up, his expression anguished and his voice impassioned.

"Three Deans, honored teachers, this matter did indeed begin because I acted impulsively."

"However, the fact that the Wei State Duke coerced Meng Zhirou is indisputable! We can't give in to him just because the Wei State Duke Mansion is powerful. As long as—"

Before Lin Fan could finish, the member of Management who had spoken first cut him off without mercy.

"Absurd! Do you think we're all fools, too, just because your master plays dumb?"

"Meng Zhirou was adopted by the Wei State Duke Mansion when she was young, and her engagement to the Wei State Duke was arranged when she was a child."

"The two weren't close in their day-to-day lives, but she never showed any intention of refusing to honor the engagement. So how did you turn that into the Wei State Duke coercing Meng Zhirou?"

"Or are you simply coveting Meng Zhirou and unable to stand seeing the two of them happily wed?"

That barrage of questions demolished Lin Fan's argument, but there was no way a few words would make him step forward and admit fault.

So he simply followed his teacher's example and became a turtle hiding its head, ignoring everyone's reactions.

Imperial Palace, Imperial Study.

Ji Ruxue sat upright on the couch, a rare trace of seriousness on her face.

Just moments earlier, she had also received news from Hong Yu about the announcement made by the Wei State Duke Mansion.

She couldn't understand what gave Mo Yunxuan the confidence to break completely with Taihua Academy.

Did the Wei State Duke Mansion still have another trump card? But if it did, why hadn't they played it the first time Lin Fan showed up at their door to cause trouble?

Unable to figure it out, she decided to stop thinking about it. In the end, Mo Yunxuan would surely reveal his trump card, and it would probably amount to no more than one or two Void Refinement Realm Experts.

And she, the Great Dry Empress, Ji Ruxue, a Body Integration Realm Early Stage powerhouse, had nothing to fear!

Still, she needed to understand the situation. If things came to a head, she would have to step in and mediate. It would be far too embarrassing if she knew nothing about the matter.

Ji Ruxue turned to Hong Yu and asked, "How are things at Taihua Academy now?"

When it came to official business, Hong Yu was entirely serious. Ji Ruxue could trust him completely.

"Your Majesty, the teachers and students have been leaving the academy one after another. By now, almost all that remain are members of Management."

"What new moves has the Wei State Duke Mansion made?"

"Since the Wei State Duke returned to the mansion, three more groups have gone to the Imperial City Imperial Guard's Left and Right Xiao Guards and Left and Right Wei Guards."

"The Four Guard Legions have all begun preparing for war. It seems...the Wei State Duke really intends to mobilize the Imperial City Imperial Guard to surround and attack Taihua Academy."

Hearing this, Ji Ruxue's brows knitted tightly. The news was like a bolt from the blue.

If a war broke out inside the Imperial City, then no matter whether she ultimately managed to suppress it, her prestige would take a serious hit.

She regretted not backing the Wei State Duke right away and punishing Lü Qingjian back then.

Now things had reached this point. A few words of persuasion could no longer stop them.

Even if she issued an imperial decree halting the Imperial City Imperial Guard's movements, it would only deepen the Wei State Duke Mansion Faction's resentment. When it finally erupted, well...

But based on the intelligence Hong Yu had shared, something still seemed off to her.

She thought it over from every angle but couldn't make sense of it, so she simply said it aloud.

Hong Yu lowered his head in thought without speaking, as if he hadn't figured it out yet.

But Qing Li, who had been standing silently to the side all along, said calmly, "Zhao Yun, appointed by Marquis Anle, currently serves as Commander of the Left Wei Guard. Yet he responded to the Wei State Duke Mansion's orders. That's highly unusual."