Teacher Zhao’s civics classes are truly excellent. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say his level is "three stories high," he is at least a qualified middle school political science teacher. Of course, if Teacher Zhao dared to explain the true nature of the state, the Great Qing would never tolerate him. He would have to ascend to the heavens—or face the total erasure of his nine degrees of kin. But when it comes to talking about loyalty—especially claiming that the Emperor Qianlong is the sun of the Great Qing—no one at the Prefectural Academy dares to question Teacher Zhao’s "arguments." Everyone knows Teacher Zhao is laying it on thick, but who would dare call him out for bootlicking? After all, Teacher Zhao’s flattery is a small matter, but the act of questioning that flattery is a much larger one.
Upon learning that the new Prefecture School Instructor Zhao wasn’t following the set curriculum but was instead rambling to students about how a scholar’s primary duty is loyalty to the Emperor, Professor Jiang, who had spent twenty years in his post, found it novel yet still took the time to have Mentor Tong, who was in charge of scheduling, make some adjustments. Specifically, they stopped assigning classes to Instructor Zhao. If a veteran like Professor Jiang couldn't guess that Teacher Zhao was incapable of teaching even the simplest subjects, he wouldn't be where he is today. Besides, it was a way to handle the situation; he could just keep quiet, wait for the transfer o…
Chapter 56