Yushan gentleman had been in good spirits lately. Not only had Yun Ye brought the old gentleman’s family from distant Shu to Chang’an, but more importantly, he had finally entered the Hongwen Academy and been properly granted the fourth-rank position of Secretary of the Central Secretariat. Although it was a sinecure that didn’t require attending court, it was still an affirmation of his life’s work.

He didn’t go to Hongwen Academy though. He had never thought highly of that group of fake Confucian teachers who schemed against each other for power. Thinking about how he didn’t need to lower himself to engage in political maneuvering or live in constant anxiety from daily scheming and plotting—he only needed to do what he loved most to rise smoothly in his career—a feeling of pride naturally arose in his heart. In his old age, official fortune had finally come knocking on its own.

The academy had specially cleared out a courtyard to temporarily house the old gentleman’s family. Yun Ye planned to build dozens of small buildings along the Dongyang River. After seeing the design drawings, each building appeared magnificently beautiful in Yushan gentleman’s eyes. He didn’t know how much money would be spent and was somewhat worried.

He told Li Gang of his concerns, but Li Gang just snorted coldly a few times and told him not to worry about money, because money didn’t seem to pose any problem for Yun Ye.

Old Li thought about his own thousand strings of cash saved through scrimping and thrift, and his heart ached. Yun Ye had easily swindled it away with just four broken iron bars. Thinking of this, Li Gang said to Yushan gentleman, “This old man’s family will arrive in Chang’an any day now. Among those residences by the Dongyang River, there must be one set for this old man. A small one won’t do. We don’t need to save him money. The bigger the residence is built, the better. The more complete the interior furnishings, the better. Ideally, this old man should be able to move in just carrying his luggage.”

“Old Li, don’t you have an old residence in Chang’an city?” Yushan gentleman was somewhat puzzled.

“This old man plans to dedicate his entire remaining life to the academy. Can that lad really begrudge me one residence?” Li Gang said with some pride, thinking to himself: Did he think my thousand strings of cash were so easy to take?

“By the way, Yushan, watch your front gate carefully. This academy is full of Chang’an city’s most notorious scoundrels. That little granddaughter of yours is as beautiful as a flower and has been educated quite well by your eldest son. She’s an absolutely wonderful child. Don’t let her be corrupted by the rascals in the academy.”

“Hahaha, how could my granddaughter be matched by ordinary scoundrels? That child has always been clever. Those rascals in the academy are no match for her.” Yushan gentleman said with full confidence.

“Hmph! You’re celebrating too early. Even if your granddaughter is a first-rate clever child, if the biggest scoundrel in the academy sets his mind to it, I’m afraid you’re celebrating prematurely.” Li Gang didn’t have much faith in Yushan gentleman’s confidence.

“Who? Zhangsun Chong? Li Huairen went to the battlefield. The two princes are too young. The rest aren’t worth mentioning.” Yushan gentleman was dismissive.

“You’ve forgotten about that demon Yun Ye. This old man has observed him doing things—there’s nothing he doesn’t accomplish. If your granddaughter encounters him, do you think she still has a chance of winning?” Li Gang was somewhat gloating.

Yushan gentleman’s expression immediately darkened. He didn’t dare guarantee that his granddaughter could be a match for Yun Ye. Thinking of that lad’s unpredictable and mysterious methods, his heart couldn’t help but worry greatly.

“You don’t need to worry too much. Although that lad carries the title of scoundrel, you and I both know he’s an unparalleled genius. He has status, family wealth, and capabilities. With such a golden son-in-law, wouldn’t it also be a wonderful thing if your granddaughter married him?” Li Gang glanced at Yushan gentleman, sighing in his heart about why his two sons hadn’t given him a beautiful granddaughter, allowing Yushan to gain the advantage.

“Do you think it’s suitable?” Yushan asked Li Gang.

Elder Li couldn’t stand his old friend’s hypocritical behavior of having his cake and eating it too, so he shook his sleeves and left.

Yushan was very lively now. Ever since Yun Ye invented football, the academy’s students had fallen madly in love with this frantic sport.

Every time class ended, even if there were only twenty minutes, they would争分夺秒 race against time to kick the ball a few times.

So athletic shorts appeared, tank tops appeared, and leather-soled football boots with short iron studs appeared—and they were differentiated for left and right feet. If anyone in the academy didn’t have such a set of equipment, they would be looked down upon and feel utterly ashamed.

The several old gentlemen couldn’t understand why twenty-some people chasing a leather bladder was so interesting. It wasn’t until they watched a real match that they discovered the profound intricacies within. The constant changes between offense and defense deeply aligned with military strategy. What was especially difficult was the emphasis on overall coordination. Even if one person had exceptional ball skills, they still couldn’t defeat the opponent’s coordinated teamwork. This was very important for establishing the academy’s learning culture, so they no longer obstructed it and let it develop freely.

The disheveled playing field was naturally not a place for ladies to stay. They also didn’t like watching dozens of hairy men drenched in sweat, finding it quite disgusting.

At least, that’s what Runniang said. As a result, Grandmother gave her several hard slaps. How would you know men are hairy if you’ve never seen them?

Yun Ye went on the field to play several matches, but never had the chance to show off his exceptional footwork. He was either sent flying by the half-ton Yuchi the Fool or encountered the bald Duan Meng. The bare Niu Mountain look was General Duan’s family tradition. Old Duan was bald without even eyebrows. Young Duan having a few eyebrows was already unfilial—how dare you have hair?

The family’s inherited Iron Head skill—when it collided with Yun Ye’s head, Yun Ye felt like he’d hit a rock. Young Duan seized the ball and gleefully attacked toward Yun Ye’s goal, while Yun Ye lay on the grass counting the stars wildly appearing before his eyes.

It was intentional! Absolutely intentional. As the only teacher among peers, he was naturally opposed to the students, especially after Liu Xian had conducted cruel pre-school education, they were all filled with desire for revenge.

They didn’t dare offend the old men—offending those old fellows would make life worse than death at home. Offending the Shu elites would result in getting zero marks. Colliding with Liu Xian would bring regret for three lifetimes. Hadn’t they seen Yellow Weasel now drilling holes all over the mountain, looking for a suitable jade tabletop for Liu Xian’s home—one for a twelve-person dining table at that?

After choosing and choosing, only Yun Ye was most suitable—not too big, not too small, not too fat, not too thin. Beating him felt comfortable, kicking him had no aftereffects. They didn’t dare do it openly, but on the playing field, wasn’t there such a thing as legitimate collision?

Yun Ye didn’t have the habit of asking for a beating, so each time he could only stand anxiously on the sidelines. When agitated, jumping and cursing was common, so there were often incidents of footballs with pig bladder interiors flying toward his face.

With no other choice, Marquis Yun had to leave the playing field and go find Yushan gentleman for tea…

Yushan gentleman had long changed his habits. The old man probably also felt he lacked Zhao Yanling’s talent. After tasting his own brewed tea, especially after Li Tai vomited in front of him, he put away his tea utensils and stopped torturing others.

Following the principle of waste utilization, Yun Ye took over the old gentleman’s mantle. After painstaking research, he created a new method called Kung Fu Tea.

After everyone carefully tasted it, Zhao Yanling greatly praised it as having a unique flavor, each with its own merits compared to Shu’s tea brewing method. Although it didn’t have the rich taste variations of brewed tea, it was sweet, fragrant, and pleasant, leaving people with endless aftertaste.

After drinking it, Yushan gentleman’s spirits lifted greatly. He stubbornly believed that Yun Ye had successfully improved it based on his own tea brewing, and obstinately named this tea brewing method the Yushan Method.

The old fellows all congratulated Yushan gentleman in unison, saying his name would be transmitted through the ages. As for Yun Ye, he pitifully occupied the position of passerby A—no one would remember him…