Today, I still don't know that my biological father is Zhu Yuanzhang.

Chapter 15

Chen Biaoping lay on the bed, hands clasped on his abdomen, his wide eyes empty and lifeless.

Mrs. Ma suppressed a smile as she fanned her beloved son.

Chen Biaoping frowned, "Mother, I really don't understand."

Mrs. Ma pursed her lips, "Hmm."

Chen Biaoping continued, "Since the Song Dynasty, scholars have been focusing their energy on internal strife. The disputes among the scholarly factions are no longer simple academic disagreements; they have turned into life-and-death struggles based solely on positions, disregarding right and wrong."

Mrs. Ma wiped the sweat from Chen Biaoping's forehead. Even indoors, the weather in June and July was extremely sultry.

"Listen, mother," Mrs. Ma said gently.

Chen Biaoping's frown deepened, "The scholars from prestigious families, especially, are exclusionary. If there's a heterodox theory, they spare no effort to burn the books and cut off its academic lineage, even more so than the emperors of the Yuan Dynasty."

Mrs. Ma sighed softly. Even though she was just a woman of letters, she had heard plenty of rumors about the domineering nature of scholars from prestigious families.

Chen Biaoping's chubby face twisted into a grimace, "Mr. Ye is one thing, but Mr. Song and Mr. Wang are legitimate heirs of prestigious families, yet they actually cheered and applauded for me, saying I didn't need to apprentice myself and generously offered to pass on their knowledge. Do they have some kind of problem?!"

"Pfft." Mrs. Ma attempted to hide her laughter behind the fan, but the big palm-leaf fan she held made it somewhat comical. "Ahem, Biao'er, you, continue."

Chen Biaoping, frustrated, flopped around on the bed like a fish... his soft little body didn't really flop, he just rolled around a bit on the bed, propped himself up with his short arms and legs, and said, "Mother!"

"Hahaha." Mrs. Ma couldn't help it and burst into laughter. "Biao'er, this is a good thing."

Chen Biaoping, exasperated, rushed into his mother's arms, using her clothes to wipe away his sweat. "How is this a good thing? I've snatched away the teacher of General Zhu's son. General Zhu won't beat me up, will he?"

Mrs. Ma hugged her chubby son and said, "Why would he? General Zhu is not that kind of person. Besides, your teachers will surely accept General Zhu's son as their student."

Chen Biaoping frowned, "Wouldn't that be worse? General Zhu's son will eagerly seek apprenticeship, while I rejected it and the teachers came to me on their own... Ahhh, why did I have to speak out? If I had known, I would have just apprenticed quickly, then contradicted them a few times and left the school!"

Mrs. Ma laughed so hard she couldn't straighten her back. "Biao'er, with your personality, if your teachers are good to you, how could you possibly do anything to hurt them? Alright, alright, the matter is settled, don't dwell on it anymore. Quickly write a letter to your father, tell him the good news. Also, ask your father to say some good things about you in front of General Zhu, so General Zhu won't beat you up... Hahaha."

Chen Biaoping grumbled.

But he could never argue with his father, Chen Guorui, like he could with his mother.

Ugh, so frustrating.

"General Zhu, do you have to force it so much that your son's teachers insist on teaching my son instead? You won't be angry, will you?

You won't, right, right, right?

Your heart can't be this narrow, right?"

Are you going to let my father and General Zhu say that?!!!