xymnovel Chapter 6 Teacher
Chapter 6 Teacher
As soon as Zhao Heng finished speaking, the hall fell silent once again.
As Han looked at her son's still thin back, tears streamed down her face.
This time, the tears contained not only fear and heartache, but also an unbelievable shock and undisguised pride, in addition to the deep grievances and lingering fear.
Madam Fu pursed her lips tightly, her gaze towards her young master was extremely complex, filled with surprise, scrutiny, and worry, but also with a barely concealed excitement that was about to burst forth.
Zhao Su and the others lay prostrate on the ground, burying their heads even lower, not daring to move or look at each other.
As for Gao Qu, his chest heaved violently, clearly furious to the extreme, with veins bulging on his forehead.
He wanted to refute and reprimand this ignorant child, but after racking his brains, he found that the eleven-year-old's words were logically connected and reasonable, and he could not find any obvious flaws.
Taking action was absolutely out of the question, and reasoning seemed to be at a disadvantage, so he froze there, like a firecracker whose fuse had been lit but had gone silent, trembling with frustration, his face turning red and then blue, almost about to explode.
Just when things were extremely awkward and almost out of control...
A calm and gentle voice suddenly came from the courtyard outside the hall.
"If you have made a mistake, young master, it is my fault as your teacher. I have failed to teach you properly and have not been able to help you distinguish between right and wrong or to be cautious in your words and actions. I shall bear the blame for this."
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.
The morning light had completely filled the courtyard, reflecting a pale white glow on the ground. Then, a middle-aged scholar dressed in a dark gray robe was seen walking slowly out of the courtyard.
He was in his early forties, quite thin, with a neatly combed long beard that swayed slightly with his steps. He walked slowly, yet with an air of leisurely ease.
This man was none other than Mr. Wei, whom Zhao Heng had caught a glimpse of yesterday in the front yard.
He entered the hall, first bowing respectfully to the empty seat at the head of the table, then turning to Madam Han and bowing deeply with his hands clasped: "Madam."
As if waking from a dream, Mrs. Han snapped out of her daze, recovering from the extreme tension and her son's astonishing performance, and hurriedly returned the greeting: "Mr. Wei..."
The former then turned to Gao Qu, whose face was ashen, and bowed respectfully, saying, "Eunuch's Commander."
Gao Qu was already furious. When he saw someone else appear, and this person was calm and composed, unlike the others in the mansion who were filled with fear, he became even more enraged and shouted, "Who are you?!"
After Mr. Wei appeared, Zhao Heng remained silent, simply taking a half-step back and scrutinizing the newcomer.
At this moment, the man's expression remained unchanged, not even a twitch of his eyebrows, and he calmly replied:
"My name is Wei Jia. I have been fortunate enough to be favored by Your Majesty and have served as the teacher of Prince Heng, teaching him the classics, history, and literature for three years."
"Wei Jia..."
Upon hearing this name, Gao Qu's anger paused slightly, and he subconsciously narrowed his eyes, pondering the name.
As a close attendant of the King of Zhao, he naturally knew some of the palace arrangements. Zhao Heng, the eldest grandson, was not particularly favored by the king because his mother was a woman from Han and he was somewhat timid. However, the king still personally chose a teacher for him, and that was the man before him.
Although it is unclear what kind of talent Wei Jia possessed that could earn the king's approval, the phrase "personally appointed by the king" itself carries weight and significance.
This person is definitely not one of those insignificant, unimportant teachers who can be ordered around at will.
Before Gao Qu could react or think it over, Wei Jia continued:
"Wei Jia is already aware of the cause and effect of the young master's fall into the water. The young master lost his father at a young age and missed his father dearly. It is pitiful that he made a mistake. However, in the end, it is because Wei Jia failed to teach him properly and did not strictly discipline and carefully guide him in his daily life, which led to today's trouble."
As he spoke, he looked calmly at Gao Qu, ignoring Zhao Heng who was quietly observing him from the side:
"When the eunuch returns to the palace to report, please truthfully inform His Majesty: Wei Jia is willing to accept the blame for the prince's transgression. If His Majesty inquires or punishes him, Wei Jia will enter the palace tomorrow and plead guilty before the Zhangtai Hall."
Zhao Heng remained silent, but secretly pondered the situation.
The teacher's words were impeccable, seemingly calm but actually sharp and precise.
Leaving aside the so-called "taking responsibility and giving someone a way out," if you, Gao Qu, are just a lowly servant, and you still can't understand right from wrong, then don't blame everyone for arguing right and wrong with the King of Zhao.
Gao Qu's expression kept changing.
He stared at Wei Jia for a long time, then glanced at Zhao Heng, who was standing quietly to the side, his mind racing.
Continuing this stalemate will be pointless. Not only will we fail to fulfill the private requests of certain individuals, but we might also bring trouble upon ourselves.
Wei Jia was personally appointed by the King, but his attitude is unclear and his true nature is unknown, so it is not advisable to confront him directly.
Zhao Heng is an even more peculiar fellow; he's sealed off everything perfectly. If things really escalate, the scene will be ugly, and not only will I be humiliated, but I'll also have a hard time explaining myself when I return to the palace to report.
After a long pause, he let out a heavy snort and gritted his teeth, saying, "Very well! Since Mr. Wei has said so, we will report back to Your Majesty truthfully! As for today's matter, Your Majesty will be the judge!"
Having said that, he ignored everyone in the hall, abruptly flicked his sleeve, and shouted to the two eunuchs behind him, "Let's go!"
The three walked hurriedly, almost in a rush, quickly crossing the courtyard and disappearing behind the screen wall.
Watching the three jinxes leave in a hurry, Madam Han's legs went weak, and she swayed. Madam Fu quickly supported her and helped her slowly sit back down at the table. Madam Han covered her face with her hands, her shoulders trembling slightly, and a low, suppressed sob escaped her lips.
Only then did Zhao Su and the others dare to slowly raise their heads. They were all soaked in sweat, their faces ashen, as if they had just walked through the gates of hell. They looked at each other, still feeling lingering fear.
Wei Jia turned around, cupped his hands to Madam Han again, and said in a calm tone, "Madam has been frightened."
Madam Han managed to stop crying and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief: "Thanks to you, sir, for saving us today... If you hadn't arrived in time, I really don't know how we would have ended up like this."
Wei Jia shook his head and chuckled, "Madam, you flatter me. The fact that things were able to turn around today is not due to my efforts."
As he spoke, his gaze naturally fell on Zhao Heng.
Zhao Heng was also looking at him.
In my memory, my teacher was usually taciturn and rarely interacted with anyone in the household outside of teaching, so he had a very low profile.
Aside from the fixed teaching times, Zhao Heng rarely saw him anywhere else, let alone so actively involved himself in the affairs of the household.
Today, at the most critical moment of his confrontation with the palace eunuchs, he appeared as if he had foreseen it, and with a few words, he defused the crisis perfectly.
Is it a coincidence?
Or was he somewhere nearby, observing how things would develop?
Wei Jia walked up to Zhao Heng. As he got closer, Zhao Heng could smell a faint scent on him, a mixture of bamboo slips and ink.
Wei Jia looked him up and down, his gaze lingering on his still pale face for a moment before sweeping over his sturdy but undeniably thin frame.
"Your complexion is alright," Wei Jia said casually. "I thought that since you were just recovering from a serious illness, you were tired and your energy hadn't fully recovered, so the classes for the next few days would have to be postponed and rescheduled."
Upon hearing this, Madam Han's face immediately showed worry, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.
Seeing this, Madam Fu quickly stepped forward and earnestly spoke on her behalf:
"Mr. Wei, the young master's health has just improved, and today he has exhausted so much energy, filled with fear and anxiety. Perhaps we should postpone the lessons for a couple more days, until he has fully recovered..."
Madam Han nodded repeatedly, looking at her son with worry in her eyes, as if she had a thousand words to say but didn't know where to begin.
However, Wei Jia did not immediately respond to their request, but simply looked at Zhao Heng.
His gaze was calm, not like he was looking at an eleven-year-old child, but rather like he was examining an object, or rather, observing a puzzle that had suddenly revealed different qualities and was worth exploring.
Zhao Heng stared at him for a moment.
Mr. Wei's eyes were not sharp or piercing, but they possessed a strange, calm power, as if they could penetrate the surface and see something deeper.
Zhao Heng's heart stirred slightly. The vague impressions of the name "Wei Jia" in those chaotic memories seemed to begin to overlap with the figure in front of him.
He suddenly took a half step back, clasped his hands in front of him, bowed, and performed a standard disciple's salute.
"The student is out of danger. He was unconscious for three days after falling into the water, which caused him to miss a lot of schoolwork. Today..."
Zhao Heng straightened up, met Wei Jia's calm gaze, and said in a steady voice, "I would like to hear your guidance, teacher."
Both Madam Han and Madam Fu were taken aback, exchanging surprised glances. Madam Han even unconsciously opened her mouth slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but then swallowed it back.
A fleeting, almost imperceptible glint flashed in Wei Jia's eyes. He nodded slowly, his face remaining expressionless, showing neither praise nor criticism.
"In that case, let's meet at the usual place at 1:15 AM."
After speaking, he bowed to Madam Han again, then turned and walked out with unhurried steps. His pace was neither fast nor slow, and the hem of his gray robe swayed slightly with each step. He quickly crossed the courtyard and disappeared around the corner of the corridor, as silently as he had come.
The hall fell silent again, leaving only Han's hesitant gaze.
Sunlight streamed fully into the hall, illuminating every tiny speck of dust in the air, which danced leisurely in the air.
Zhao Heng walked to his mother's side and took her still-cold hand in his. Han's hand was very thin, with prominent knuckles, and he could feel it trembling slightly when he held it.
"Mother, it's alright now," Zhao Heng said.
Han gripped her son's hand tightly, so tightly that if she let go, this son, who seemed somewhat unfamiliar yet whom she was incredibly proud of, would disappear.
She looked up at her son's youthful face, which had already begun to show signs of fading from childhood innocence. A thousand words stuck in her chest, but in the end, they only turned into a heavy reply tinged with tears.
Zhao Heng didn't say anything more, but gently patted the back of his mother's hand that was tightly gripping his.
He gazed in the direction Wei Jia had left, his eyes deep and thoughtful.
Yesterday's Yan Dan, today's Gao Qu, and this Mr. Wei who appeared at just the right time, clearly keeping his true abilities hidden...
Having fallen into the water and woken up just one day later, the winds in Handan City seemed to begin blowing in unexpected directions because of him, the chess piece that unexpectedly did not sink to the bottom.
And his so-called course, perhaps, only truly begins today, from this moment.
The sky outside the window had fully brightened, a clear, deep blue.
------
Wei Jia was the teacher of Emperor Taizu. He once studied at Jixia Academy under Su Dai and mastered the art of diplomacy and strategic maneuvering.
In the ninth year of King Xiaocheng's reign, Lord Chunshen of Chu formed an alliance and wanted to appoint Lord Linwu as general. Jia met with him and advised, "When I was young, I loved archery. When I saw a wounded goose flying slowly and crying sadly, I knew that its wounds had not yet healed, and it was easily startled and its bow could fall. Now, Lord Linwu was defeated by the Qin army, and his heart and courage are already timid. He is like a bird startled by a bow. How can he be entrusted with the heavy responsibility of resisting Qin?" Lord Chunshen was shocked and moved, and thus abandoned the proposal.
After the matter was settled, Jia went into seclusion in Zhao. Later, Emperor Taizu needed a tutor, and King Dan of Zhao, recognizing his abilities, appointed him as Emperor Taizu's teacher. — *Old Book of Zhao*, Volume 41, Biographies of Wei Mao Gai Wei