Chapter 125: Apprenticeship

"I heard you caused quite a stir last night, dear husband..."

He had thought last night's events were discreet, but upon returning from his run, he found that everyone at home already knew. While his actions might have been hidden from others, they certainly weren't from the Su family members and Li Pin nearby, who had turned it into a humorous anecdote. Su Ding and others had probably come by in the morning to talk, and now Su Tan'er was bringing it up again.

"Five hundred taels for one go? Master Ning is quite generous!" Xiao Chan said with a grin as she served the rice porridge. Beside her, Juan'er turned her head and whispered to Xing'er, "What a spendthrift." Having grown familiar with Ning Yi, this was just playful banter, audible to everyone. When Ning Yi playfully raised his spoon as if to hit her, she just laughed and ran off.

"Alright, alright, dear husband hasn't been there much before, let's not tease him about this anymore."

Although five hundred taels was indeed a large sum of money, Su Tan'er found Ning Yi's actions last night merely amusing and didn't seem to mind. Once everyone was settled, she casually asked, "Do you know that Yuan Jin'er, husband?"

Ning Yi thought for a moment: "Not very well, but I know someone else."

Xiao Chan's eyes lit up: "The one in white who sang 'Shuidiao Getou'? Young Master Ding said this morning that she sang beautifully, using a new style. I thought it was Master Ning's style, but when I sang it, Young Master Ding said it wasn't." She chuckled, humming a few more lines to herself, clearly pleased. "Is it as good as the one Master Ning taught?"

"She's incredibly skilled," Ning Yi said, picking up a pickled long bean, shaking his head with a smile. "Xiao Chan, you're just an amateur; you can't compare."

"Hmm," Xiao Chan pursed her lips, then lowered her head to drink her porridge. Xing'er, from her spot, asked, "Then who is she?"

"Perhaps she's a young lady who admires your talents, dear husband," Su Tan'er said with a smile.

"Her name is Nie Yunzhu. She's very talented, and I saved her once," Ning Yi replied. Then, while drinking his porridge, he recounted the morning Nie Yunzhu chased a hen and fell into the river, from her clumsy pursuit of the hen to how he eventually got caught up and even slapped. Everyone in the room had strange expressions.

"Is that... Nie Yunzhu, the one who sells preserved eggs and also has some connection with Gu Yanzhen?"

"Gu Yanzhen... tsk..." Ning Yi shrugged noncommittally.

By now, breakfast was over, and after discussing more miscellaneous things about Nie Yunzhu, Su Tan'er occasionally glanced at Ning Yi, then chuckled softly, "You speak so highly of her, husband; if there's an opportunity, I'd like to meet this Miss Yunzhu..."

"Hardly anyone recognized her last night, so it's best not to spread the word."

"I understand."

There was still much more to discuss, but for Su Tan'er, it was time to go out and handle some matters. For now, she could only suppress her thoughts and watch Ning Yi, who appeared completely normal. Things had been getting busier these past two days. That morning, she left with Chan'er, Juan'er, and Xing'er, while Ning Yi planned to go to the courtyard next to the academy to organize his small laboratory. As noon approached, he emerged from the courtyard and walked towards the academy, only to see two carriages from Prince Kang's estate parked at the closed academy gates. The siblings Zhou Pei and Zhou Junwu, along with several guards, seemed to have just knocked and found no one. Among the guards was Lu Agui, who greeted Ning Yi with surprise.

"We just arrived and didn't expect the academy to be closed already. We were just about to head to the Su residence, so it's quite a coincidence to meet you here."

"Haha, things have been tense these past few days. The city gates might be closed at any time, so the academy held a meeting yesterday and decided to close temporarily."

After they exchanged a few pleasantries, Ning Yi glanced at Zhou Pei and Zhou Junwu beside them, then smiled and asked, "Brother Lu, what brings you here? Haha... Don't tell me it's to challenge the academy again?" He teased, looking at the siblings.

"How could we dare?" Lu Agui quickly shook his head. "We came..."

"My sister and I came to ask to be your students!" Before Lu Agui could finish, Zhou Junwu interjected, putting on a very sincere expression. Zhou Pei, beside him, was stunned for a moment, looking slightly embarrassed. She looked at her brother, then at Ning Yi: "I... I still have questions to ask..."

Ning Yi looked at her and couldn't help but laugh. Lu Agui coughed a few times awkwardly beside them, likely knowing Ning Yi's personality and wanting to smooth things over. Ning Yi thought for a moment, then looked at Zhou Pei: "I hear you're very good at arithmetic?"

Zhou Pei looked at him, blinked, thought for a while, then softly hummed, "Mm-hm."

"I'll ask you a few very simple questions. If you answer them, then you can ask me your questions. How about that?"

"...Alright." Zhou Pei hesitated for a moment before nodding, then turned around. "I'll go get paper and a brush."

"No need to get them, these are truly the simplest questions," Ning Yi laughed. When Zhou Pei turned back, looking doubtful, he extended one finger. "Tell me, what number is this?"

The young girl looked at his finger, then at Ning Yi, then back at his finger, then Ning Yi again, her gaze shifting twice. She frowned, clearly trying to figure out Ning Yi's sophistry and tricks. After a good long moment, she finally spoke cautiously: "Master Chen once said that one is one, two is two; right is right, wrong is wrong. Anyone who tries to confuse these basic things is engaging in sophistry..."

She spoke slowly, with a righteous demeanor, watching Ning Yi's reaction. Ning Yi's finger moved slightly in the air: "Uh, did someone say that? Who is Master Chen?"

"Master Chen Qiulan is a guest advisor to Prince Kang's estate, a great scholar of our time, and frequently interacts with my master," Lu Agui said from the side.

"Oh," Ning Yi nodded, his finger still extended. "That makes sense, but after all that, what number is this?"

"One." After a brief pause, the answer was short and forceful.

"Oh," Ning Yi nodded, then extended two fingers. "What number is this?"

"Two." This time there was no hesitation. The young girl tilted her head back, looking as if to say, "Let's see what tricks you can pull."

Then, three fingers: "What's one plus one?"

"Three!" The answer was still loud and clear.

Ning Yi withdrew his hand and chuckled. In front of him, Zhou Pei, and beside them, Zhou Junwu and Lu Agui, were still subconsciously waiting for Ning Yi's fourth question. Seeing Ning Yi's expression, Zhou Junwu reacted with an "Ah!" Zhou Pei blinked. "What's wrong? Aren't you going to continue, uh... what?"

Both Zhou Junwu and Lu Agui burst out laughing. It was only then that the young girl realized what had happened, her face flushing crimson. "You, you, you... you tricked me! How could you...!"

"Haha, you're overthinking it," Ning Yi chuckled. "You should be polite. Otherwise... are you trying to go back on your word?"

"I... I would never go back on my word! What do you want?"

"What do I want? It was just a joke. But now I don't have to answer your questions, do I?" Ning Yi shrugged at Lu Agui. "They'd surely be difficult. It's good not to have to answer." Lu Agui also chuckled. Zhou Junwu raised his hand, his eyes practically sparkling. "Me, me, me! I don't want to ask questions, Sir Ning, can I become your student?"

"The academy is there for anyone who wishes to enter. It's just closed now. If you find it interesting, you can simply enroll and attend classes when it reopens."

As Ning Yi said this casually, Lu Agui whispered, "Actually, if possible, Prince Kang hopes that Li Heng could teach at the estate, ideally with a guest advisor title. I know Li Heng doesn't like official positions, but this guest advisor role isn't compulsory; you would just receive a monthly stipend. What do you think, Li Heng?"

"How does Prince Kang know about me?"

"It's a long story. Actually, Prince Kang has only heard of Li Heng's reputation for talent. My master initiated this. If possible, he hopes you can teach the young prince and princess some useful things. Of course, the guest advisor position itself would primarily depend on Li Heng's wishes."

Ning Yi thought for a moment: "Then... please thank him for his kind offer. I don't know much myself. Having two more students is fine; they can come to class and listen, and I'll certainly teach what I can. But going to the estate, I'll have to decline. I have a peculiar character. Telling stories when there are many people is fine, but if I were to teach individually, I honestly wouldn't know what to teach."

Zhou Junwu tugged on Lu Agui's sleeve beside him, then happily declared, "I think the academy is good too, and Big Sister... Big Sister?"

He looked back at his sister and saw that Zhou Pei was still sulking with her head down, having been outsmarted and left speechless. However, Zhou Junwu remained very happy, then turned back and said, "It'll be much more fun when my sister and I come to the academy." He likely found his usual studies at home or attending private lessons with great scholars tedious and couldn't wait to find a new place to play. Lu Agui thought for a moment: "Since Li Heng has said so, I will report back accordingly. I don't think it will be a big problem. However, there will likely be one or two people accompanying them on weekdays, but of course, they will absolutely not disturb Li Heng's classes."

"I understand that," Ning Yi nodded. The group continued on with the carriages, followed by several guards. Not long after, Ning Yi finally asked, "Speaking of that 'long story' you mentioned earlier, Brother Lu, what exactly did you mean?"

Lu Agui thought for a moment before saying softly, "Actually... a few days ago, when Li Heng was speaking with Li Pin and Li Dexin in the classroom, the young prince and princess happened to overhear. I don't know exactly what Li Heng said, but..."

He explained everything in detail, and only then did Ning Yi understand what had happened.

"My master has been pondering Li Heng's words these past few days. It's clear he takes them very seriously. Sometimes he says Li Heng is unorthodox, even outrageous, but on the whole, I think Li Heng hit the nail on the head. If he hadn't been busy today, he would have come with the young prince and princess. Haha, I know my master's personality; he'll certainly want to debate with Li Heng. However, it was also my master who personally said that the young prince and princess should become Li Heng's students. Today, we've merely come to seek Li Heng's opinion. My master said that given Li Heng's character, it would be polite for the young prince and princess to come in person. When the time comes for the actual ceremony, it won't be so simple; Prince Kang himself will have to appear. Such are the customs, so Li Heng should be prepared..."

Lu Agui smiled as he spoke, then brought up another matter with Ning Yi.

"Oh, as Li Heng just mentioned, the city gates will be closed within the next day or two. Today is the thirteenth, tomorrow the fourteenth, and by the fifteenth, every household will be offering sacrifices to their ancestors. Many people outside the city have lost family members, and there's concern they might cause trouble..."

Before he could finish, urgent bells and gongs rang out from the east side of Jiangning City. The carriages paused for a moment, then everyone turned their heads to look in that direction. Separated by many buildings, they naturally couldn't see clearly, but in that instant, the entire city seemed to quieten. A heavy atmosphere emanated from the east, and then, faint sounds of commotion and chaos began to grow louder.

"Something's happened..."

It was nearly noon. In the street, Ning Yi heard Lu Agui murmur...