The whole family is insanely eavesdropping on my thoughts Chapter 598
Chapter 598: The Dao of Heaven Favors Its Own
Lin Yan Yang scratched his head, feeling like something was off.
Back when he had torn down the notice, the crowd had cheered:
“Senior Brother Lin speaks for justice! A true scholar, an example to us all! We follow you!”
“Well done, Senior Brother Lin! Worthy of being a student of the Imperial Academy! If you lead, we will follow!”
“From now on, Senior Brother Lin is our generation’s leader!”
“Yes, our leader!”
At that moment, the praise had lifted him high.
But now? He had lost both his dignity and his reputation—and even had to teach for a fee.
“Forget it. No use dwelling on the past. Receiving the guidance of a sage is already a blessing,” Lin Yan Yang muttered, forcing himself to move on.
After greeting Lu Yuan Xiao, the scholars entered to prepare for their lessons.
Meanwhile, Lu Chao Chao sat in the courtyard, her eyes shining as she watched the endless stream of children enrolling.
“Do you know how a women’s academy differs from a regular school?” She pointed to the young girls and asked the Heavenly Dao.
Heavenly Dao glanced at them and replied softly, “Their eyes burn with light, with fire.”
“For women, the right to study is not easily gained. Every girl here treasures this opportunity. They want to be the first spark that ignites the flames.”
It was different from the boys.
“Those who step into this academy do not read just for themselves.”
“They carry the weight of your five-year promise and the fate of countless women behind them.” These girls had entered with conviction in their hearts.
Lu Chao Chao’s face held rare pride. “That five-year promise? I’ve already won.”
The young man beside her chuckled.
“Hmph! Those scholars at the Imperial Academy deserve this! They cursed me the most behind my back…” she grumbled, baring her teeth.
“They even wrote poetry to insult me. As if I can’t write poems…” her voice carried both frustration and grievance.
The young man’s eyes darkened, but when Chao Chao looked over, he dared not show any reaction.
“I didn’t let them off either…” she smirked, hopping off her chair.
She fished out a handful of gold melon seeds from her pocket but secretly tucked one back—saving it for snacks later. She was practically broke now.
The emperor’s reward of fifty thousand taels had all been allocated to the women’s academies to ensure their smooth operation.
Lu Chao Chao sneaked toward the back gate, where a group of ragged beggars huddled.
“Brother Bun! Didn’t we do great? We didn’t embarrass you, right?”
“Those scholars, with just a little push from us, went completely crazy on the spot!” A young beggar beamed, eager for praise.
“You are all my brothers, even if we don’t share blood!” Lu Chao Chao declared, full of camaraderie.
Hmph. What use was cursing behind her back?
She had found a way to drag them into the open and ruthlessly trapped them!
“Now hurry and lay low. Don’t get caught,” she said, handing out a few gold melon seeds each. The beggars’ faces lit up with joy.
As they passed through the front gate—
Lin Yan Yang and his fellow scholars were just leaving. Seeing the beggars, Lin Yan Yang frowned in thought.
“Lin, what’s the matter? We have only three days before classes begin. We should hurry and prepare,” a companion nudged him, snapping him out of it.
“Nothing. They just looked familiar.”
His friend laughed. “Lin, you must be exhausted. How could beggars look familiar?”
Lin Yan Yang kept glancing back but eventually shook his head. Maybe he was imagining things.
“Oh, Lin, you should burn your poetry collections…” another scholar hinted, exchanging knowing glances with the others. They had all written sour poems mocking Lu Chao Chao when she established the women’s academy.
Lin Yan Yang’s expression turned serious. “Thanks for the reminder.”
Immediately, the scholars rushed home, locked their doors, and burned their poems to ashes.
That night—
Lin Yan Yang lay in bed, his face contorted in distress, caught in a nightmare.
He found himself clad in sleepwear, standing in a white mist.
“A dream? This must be a dream. I’m in bed, resting,” he murmured.
But the dream felt too real. The eerie chill made his arms break out in goosebumps.
Footsteps echoed through the mist, each step pounding against his heart.
A deep sense of unease crept over him.
When he lifted his gaze, a tall, slender youth in black appeared before him, his face blurred and unreadable.
Without a word, the figure clenched his fist and swung it straight at him.
“Ahh!!”
Screams tore through the mist as Lin Yan Yang’s wails turned hoarse from agony.
“Why won’t I wake up…? Heavens, please let me wake up!” he sobbed, utterly powerless in the dream. His tears and snot ran freely as he knelt, banging his head in supplication, but the fists continued their relentless assault.
At dawn, as the rooster crowed, the mist finally dissipated.
“Ahhh!!” Lin Yan Yang bolted upright in bed, then tumbled onto the floor in panic.
“A dream! Just a dream! Thank heavens, it was just a dream!” he gasped, patting his chest to calm himself.
But as he moved—
“Hiss…” A sharp pain shot through his entire body, as though every inch of his skin had been pummeled mercilessly.
Overwhelmed, Lin Yan Yang couldn’t hold back any longer.
He sat on the floor, wailing.
Damn it. He was haunted!
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation