Outside the lecture hall, a struggle is about to begin.

the next morning.

In the Jiazhai Lecture Hall, behind more than twenty desks, the students knelt and sat in neat rows.

Mr. Tao Yan sat behind his desk in the center of the lecture hall.

Tao Yan was about forty years old, slightly plump, with fair skin and a sparse beard.

He was dressed in a brown linen robe, with a wide cloth belt around his waist and a headscarf on his head; he was quite well-dressed.

He held in his hands a volume of "Collected Explanations of the Spring and Autumn Annals," annotated by Du Yu.

Tao Yan's scholarship was not considered particularly outstanding within the Wansong Academy.

His lectures were always very proper and conventional.

When he lectured on the "Collected Explanations of the Spring and Autumn Annals and its Commentaries," after reading the text and the corresponding commentary from the "Zuo Zhuan," he would lecture according to Du Yu's annotations, occasionally interjecting a sentence or two of his own insights, but without any particularly unique perspectives.

Today he is talking about the 28th year of Duke Xi in the Spring and Autumn Annals.

In the spring of the twenty-eighth year, the Marquis of Jin invaded Cao. The Marquis of Jin then attacked Wei.

Tao Yan spoke in a calm tone, and after reading the corresponding passage from the Zuo Zhuan, he read aloud, following Du Yu's annotation: "Du Yuankai's annotation says: Cao and Wei were states allied with Chu. The Duke of Jin intended to borrow a passage through Wei to attack Chu, but the people of Wei refused. Therefore, he attacked Wei first, and then invaded Cao."

After he finished reading the annotation, he raised his head and glanced around the hall. Just as he was about to continue, he saw Sun Yuangui in the back row nodding his head, already dozing off.

Sun Yuangui's head drooped, then suddenly jerked up, his eyes opening and closing groggily. His body swayed slightly, as if he might collapse at any moment.

Tao Yan glanced at him, but didn't reprimand him. He simply shook his head slightly and continued speaking.

"The prince bought a garrison, but failed to complete the garrison duty; he was assassinated."

He then recited another verse, followed by the corresponding passage from the Zuo Zhuan, and as usual, read Du Yu's commentary.

The students below the classroom were either writing something down on paper with their heads down, staring unfocusedly out the window, or resting their chins on their hands, trying to stay awake.

Wang Shu listened attentively, his back ramrod straight, his gaze fixed on the scroll in Tao Yan's hand, his brows slightly furrowed as if deep in thought. Gu Jun knelt beside him, somewhat dazed, lost in thought.

Zhu Yingtai knelt beside Liang Shanbo, holding a rabbit-hair brush in her hand. The brush tip was dipped in ink and hung above the paper, but she hesitated to put it down.

Her gaze drifted toward Liang Shanbo beside her.

Liang Shanbo was bowing his head, holding a pen in his hand, writing something on a piece of paper.

Zhu Yingtai glanced at him, then looked away.

Tao Yan's voice continued.

"The people of Chu came to the aid of Wei. On the day of Bingwu in the third month, the Marquis of Jin entered Cao, captured the Earl of Cao, and handed him over to the people of Song."

They were chanting scriptures, reciting the text of the Zuo Zhuan, and reading the commentaries.

The air inside the hall was stuffy, and occasionally a few birds chirped outside the window, as if mocking the dullness of the lecture hall.

With great difficulty, Tao Yan finally finished reciting the text from the 28th year of Duke Xi's reign.

He closed the book, stood up, nodded slightly to the students below, and then picked up the book and walked out of the lecture hall.

The atmosphere in the lecture hall immediately relaxed.

Some people exhaled deeply, some talked, some stretched, and some moved their legs that had gone numb from kneeling.

Liang Shanbo put his pen down beside the inkstone, picked up the half-written sheet of paper, gently blew on the ink, and then set it aside to dry. At this moment, Sun Yuangui, who was in the front row, suddenly turned around.

Sun Yuangui's face was beaming with smiles as he lowered his voice, a hint of excitement in it: "Brother Liang, Brother Zhu! There's a good show to watch at noon today!"

Liang Shanbo looked at him and asked, "What kind of show is it?"

Sun Yuangui chuckled twice and leaned forward: "Our Jiazhai's Yu Yanzhi is going to challenge Xiao Hu in the wrestling match!"

Upon hearing this, Liang Shanbo's gaze flickered slightly.

Yu Yanzhi? Such a frail scholar actually wants to go and challenge Xiao Hu?

Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai had met Xiao Hu at the school and had also heard about him from Sun Yuangui.

Like Sun Yuangui, Xiao Hu came from a prominent local family in Qiantang. He disliked studying from a young age and had limited knowledge, which is why he was assigned to the second-best dormitory. However, he was tall and strong, weighing nearly 200 jin (approximately 100 kg), and possessed considerable martial arts skills, especially fondness for wrestling.

Jiaodi is a competitive and recreational activity inherited from the Qin and Han dynasties. Similar to wrestling or sumo, wrestlers often have loose hair, bare upper bodies, and wrestle with each other to determine the winner.

Although the Eastern Jin scholars valued intellectual discourse and generally looked down on martial arts and wrestling, wrestling continued in the court and was still a private hobby among young aristocratic families. It also existed in the army in the form of martial arts training, or appeared in folk entertainment as a festive activity.

Swordsmanship and spear fighting are not allowed at Wansong Academy, but wrestling is permitted. Students often use wrestling as a game to expend physical energy or as a way to exercise.

Because Xiao Hu was truly formidable in duels and often struck with great force, none of the hundred or so students in the two dormitories of Wansong Academy dared to challenge him.

He couldn't force anyone to fight him, so a few months ago he announced that if anyone could defeat him, he would give them three thousand coins; if they lost, he wouldn't take the money.

Three thousand coins is no small sum.

A pageboy's monthly wage is only four or five hundred coins. Three thousand coins is enough for a middle-class family to live on for three or four months.

Because of this rule, for several months, some students from both the A and B dormitories challenged Xiao Hu for the three thousand coins. All of them lost. Some were bruised and battered, while others were bedridden for two or three days.

When Sun Yuangui spoke of these things, his face showed a complex expression, a mixture of admiration for Xiao Hu's bravery and regret for the overconfidence of those challengers.

At this moment, Sun Yuangui continued, "Xiao Hu and Yu Yanzhi are both my friends. I will be hosting today's match. You two come with me and see what the excitement is like!"

Liang Shanbo did not answer immediately.

He had something on his mind.

Yesterday in Qiantang County, Zhu Yingtai bought him paper, ink, a brush, a belt, a headscarf, and a long robe, spending a total of 1,410 copper coins. He immediately thought that this money should be returned to Zhu Yingtai. Moreover, he then decided to earn back the 3,000 copper coins Xiao Hu had owed him!

He had planned to challenge Xiao Hu in the next two days. Unexpectedly, Yu Yanzhi also wanted to challenge him, and at noon today.

Liang Shanbo snapped out of his thoughts and turned to Zhu Yingtai: "Brother, would you like to come along?"

A hint of hesitation flashed in Zhu Ying's eyes.

She naturally knew what a horn was.

Even though she is now disguised as a man and studying at the academy under the identity of "Zhu Jiuling", she is still a girl and a lady from a prominent family. How could she possibly watch men fighting shirtless?

Thinking of this, she shook her head: "I'm not going. I don't like fighting."

Liang Shanbo understood. He certainly knew why Zhu Yingtai didn't go.

He didn't point it out, but just smiled slightly, nodded, and then turned to Sun Yuangui: "Brother Zhu doesn't like fighting, but I'd like to go with Brother Sun to take a look."

Sun Yuangui's eyes lit up, and he patted Liang Shanbo on the shoulder: "Alright! Then Brother Liang, come with me!"

After he finished speaking, he looked at Zhu Yingtai and chuckled, "Brother Zhu, don't regret it if you don't go. Xiao Hu's fighting is a real spectacle! Last time, he threw a student from Yizhai to the ground, making him roll three times. The expression on that student's face when he got up was...tsk tsk..."

Zhu Yingtai frowned slightly, lowered her eyes, and did not reply.