Chapter 329: I beg you, give up on me

Ten days ago, Madam Jia had wanted to see Jia Chuan, but the academy had a rule that one could not leave before the children's vacation time.

I refused her.

However, she seemed quite anxious, yet she did not insist.

Zi Su reflected on that day's situation; after the Jia family incident, she repeatedly thought it over, always feeling that something was wrong.

Even if the Princess Consort did not ask, she would still have to report it.

"Did you send anything to Jia Chuan?" Jiang Yunchu furrowed her brows and asked.

"No."

Zi Su shook her head, not understanding why the master would ask that.

Jiang Yunchu's brows furrowed further, then she sighed helplessly, "Let's go to the academy."

All along the way, seeing Jiang Yunchu's gaze, everyone was filled with respect.

After more than a year, she had already established her footing in the Wang Fu.

"Dean."

In the classroom, these days Ningguang was still overseeing the lessons; outside, the soldiers had not retreated; although the Wang Fu had lost public opinion, His Majesty had not yet made a clear decision, and likely the imperial court was already in an uproar.

"But..."

She nodded to everyone, Ningguang, and said, "Mr. Ningguang, may I take up one class?"

Ningguang nodded, packed up his things, and left the room.

Zi Su also went out, leaving twelve people in the room, plus Jiang Yunchu.

"Jia Chuan, do you know about your parents' affairs, right?" Jiang Yunchu's first question was like a thunderbolt, directly bombing the children's hearts.

Jia Chuan raised his head; that smile was ugly, even worse than crying.

"I know."

……

For a moment, the interior was utterly silent.

"Jia Er, explain yourself clearly."

"Yeah, Second Brother, when did you find out? How did you find out?"

Jiang Yunchu lightly tapped the table, looking at the noisy crowd below, and said, "Quiet."

Although the children's faces were full of anxiety, each one quieted down, each silently watching Jia Chuan, but no longer speaking.

Jiang Yunchu sighed, looking at the children, and asked, "Do you believe him?"

"Believe."

This time, not a single child hesitated; everyone spoke in unison.

Although they were anxious, whether they knew the truth or not, the final outcome would differ, but they knew Jia Chuan, who loved Da Ning so much, could never betray the nation.

"I am greatly relieved."

Jiang Yunchu lightly smiled, looking at those eleven people; even in this situation, even if Jia Chuan claimed to be informed, they still chose to believe.

Sometimes such belief is blind, but they would rather follow their own conscience.

"Jia Chuan, speak up; you also owe these companions an explanation." Jiang Yunchu's voice was soft, yet she had never doubted.

How could she not believe her own child?

"Last vacation, I happened upon my mother in my father's study, and she had drawn some things." Jia Chuan looked at his companions; this matter had been weighing on his mind for a month, he was doubtful but never imagined it would turn out this way.

"When I went to look for a book, I ran into her; my mother was then flustered and afraid."

"She directly hid the drawings behind her back."

Jia Chuan chuckled, "If I had realized it then and stopped her, would things have been different?"

"Although I was doubtful, that was my home, that was my mother, and I didn't think much of it."

He closed his eyes, sat on the stool, and these days he had repeatedly imagined that scene; that scene was like a nightmare, daily scratching his heart and tearing at his lungs.

"When the troops surrounded the Wang Fu and news of my parents spread, I thought of that picture—what else could not be explained?"

After he finished speaking, he sighed, his whole body seeming to have been drained of strength.

He is the child of a traitor.

He is a half-breed.

He is a bad person, a rotten egg, a scoundrel, someone who deserves to die.

Those people weren't wrong at all!

It was his mother who stole the military control map, and his father who failed to notice; they are criminals of Da Ning!

He is too!

What face does he have left to live in Da Ning, or to stay in this academy?

How could he raise his head to face his companions, how to face his teacher, how to face the dean...

A barely nine-year-old child, his heart is torn; all his thoughts, like the horses in a five-horse dismemberment, constantly tear at him, pulling him apart piece by piece.

"But..."

At this moment he raised his head, walked past the desk, past his companions, and came before Jiang Yunchu.

He simply knelt straight down, lifted his head, and looked at Jiang Yunchu.

"Dean, on the day I arrived, I knelt and begged you to take me in."

"Today, I beg you, give up on me."

He stubbornly lifted his head, gazing into Jiang Yunchu's eyes; he did not cry, even though his eyes were reddened, even though the reluctance tugged at him, yet he did not cry; he lowered his head and walked into the academy, let him keep his head high as he goes.

"You want to leave?"

Jiang Yunchu lightly smiled, did not let him rise, and merely asked softly.

"Is my Chun Hua Xue Yuan a place where you can come and go as you please?" she stared at Jia Chuan.

"Without me, nobody can take you away—not even you yourself."

Her one sentence, all the strength Jia Chuan had been pretending to have, at this moment, was like a flood breaking loose, pouring out endlessly.

Dean, I will bring trouble to the academy, I will bring trouble to my companions.

But...

"Jia Chuan." Jiang Yunchu stood up, walked to his front, then reached out, took hold of his arm, and pulled him up.

My people, I believe in them.

You should also believe—in your companions, in your dean.

The matter hasn't been settled yet; there might actually be a turning point… but you're just a nine‑year‑old child—what can you change?

Can you change your birth? Can you change your parents' choices? Or can you change what the outcome will be?

You…

Jiang Yunchu lightly smiled, then rubbed his head—gentle, warm, with a faint smile; her eyes seemed to hide countless rays of starlight, making anyone who sees them feel hopeful.

You have to believe me.

Even if you don't believe in yourself, you should believe in the dean.

Her voice was so gentle, a gentleness she had never shown before; she was always stern, always indifferent, always unconcerned.

But this time she was so gentle; everyone's eyes were fixed on them.

You have to believe me!

Even if you don't believe in yourself, you should believe in the dean.

Those two gentle words were like seeds planted in the children's hearts; when they felt lost, when they wanted to give up, they would always think of today.

Dean, let them believe.

They can doubt themselves, but they cannot doubt the dean, because…

They are the dean's students, children the dean painstakingly nurtured bit by bit.