“Aunty Rucheng, aunty Rucheng, wake up!”

Being woken up all of a sudden she frowned. Opening her eyes she saw that it was Miao Hao waking her up, “When did I fall asleep?”

“I don’t know but there is big trouble, there’s elders outside, they have been yelling this whole time. The noise woke us all up, only Sang Chul is still asleep,” she said in a panic.

Listening closely, she heard banging against the door. ‘The pain must have knocked me out cold,’ she thought, rubbing her stomach as she got up and staggering as she walked. The children already put the tables and chairs back in their positions and were sitting down.

Sitting down they took out parchment and started writing their names on it, “You children are up to no good,” Rucheng teased with a smirk.

Sweat dripped down their foreheads. Sang Chul hadn’t waken up yet and was asleep seated up behind his desk, with his head hanging.

Staggering to the door, she looked back at her class; they were all looking at her nervously, “Don’t worry children, nothing is going to happen to you, if worse comes to shove, I’ll me suspended for making the elders wait,” she joked.

‘That’s not what we are worried about… what will happen to out free play?’ they all thought.

Pushing the doors open, she glared at the two elders standing before her.

“Apprehend her!” yelled a hunchbacked elder.

An elder with the longest beard she had ever seen, grabbed her arm and held down firmly on her shoulder. The third elder was a woman with a noble air and appearance that looked at her with contempt.

“Search her,” ordered the hunchbacked old man.

The woman reached into her robes with her cold hands. The cold force a reaction from Rucheng; she raised her leg and kicked. The old woman dodged in time, the old man berated, “You dare fight an elder!”

“Her hands are cold! Warm it up then you touch me,” she protested.

“Insolent!!!” he yelled.

“Touch me with your cold hands and I’ll scream rape,” Rucheng declared as she glared at the old woman. Some of the bystanders burst out laughing but quickly composed themselves. One in particular individual who was watching alongside his friends smile on amused.

Everyone who heard this couldn’t help but be in awe, this Qin Rucheng had courage standing up to the disciplining elders and for her to talk back as she did.

The old man pointed his finger at her, “Good! Brilliant! You dare act as you please ad not think of the consequences, you dare go against us of the disciplinary committee!”

“Search her!” he commanded the elders while taking note of Rucheng’s eye roll.

The woman searched Rucheng’s body and robes, turning to the old man she said, “It’s not here.”

Rucheng raised her eyebrow at them wondering what it was that they were looking for.

“Where is it” The old man glared at her.

“What?” she asked blandly.

“Where is the weapon you assaulted Master Teng and Lady Jung with,” he asked annoyed.

“So that’s what she’s called,” Rucheng mindlessly said out loud making some bystanders frown as they saw the innocent curiosity on her face.

“???” The elder frowned because it genuinely looked like she didn’t know who Lady Jung was.

“What… Where is it?!” He yelled trying to not note the oddness of this situation.

“Uncle, what are you looking for?” she asked with a frown, not liking that he was beating around the bush.

“The whip you mercilessly beat Master Ten and Lady Jung with!” he yelled frustrated.

Rucheng scrunched her nose, her ears were starting to ring from all the yelling, “Uncle, there’s no need to yell, why didn’t you ask before you ordered this old woman to molest me in front of you… Na Dong is on the desk, if not, then it’s on the floor.”

The old man turned red, filled with embarrassment from her words, “Insolent! Who do you think you are talking to you disrespectful…”

“You disrespectful what?” she asked not giving him a chance to finish.

The old woman returned from searching Rucheng’s desk; she held in her hand a silver brush. Looking at the brush in the old woman’s hand Rucheng frowned, ‘You can change into a brush?’

From inside her hair came a slight tremble that only she could detect. Shaking her head she said, “You have it, now what?”

The Old man looked at her, “This is it… do you take me for a fool?”

“You shouldn’t ask that…” she smiled amused. “Na Dong is multipurpose and it depends on its mood.”

Squinting his eyes on the brush, he wasn’t sure if he could believe her or not, “Bring her with!”

“Old man! What about my class,” she protested.

“They’ll manage without you,” came from the side; looking over, it was Lady Hong… ‘So you didn’t learn your lesson this morning, I’ll come back for you,’ she thought.

“Ah, Lady Hong, you’re a life saver, the rest of the class is studying characters, Kim Sang Chul is asleep. If you wake him up and his fever gets worse… you’ll end up in a sorry state like that Lady Jung,” she warned with a smirk on her face.

“Insolent!!” yelled the old man.

Rucheng looked at his back thinking, ‘My name will be changed to Insolent if this keeps up.’