Volume One: The Superintendent and the Student Supervisor Chapter Twenty-Two: Campus Bullying in the Ming Dynasty

Faced with such words dripping with sarcasm and ridicule, even those classmates who had built a slight rapport with Huang Ming turned pale. "Zhang Pan, you’re going too far!"

"Hah, I only speak the truth—what’s so excessive about that?" Zhang Pan shook his head with a smug grin. "Besides, the little eunuch isn’t even upset. Why are you so agitated? Unless you’d all like to join him in the palace?"

The remark was venomous, and the group’s expressions darkened. "You—"

Zhang Pan, however, paid it no mind, letting his mocking gaze sweep over them. "What now? Think the lesson you got before wasn’t enough? Want to try me again? I have two men waiting outside..."

"Hmph, we won’t stoop to your level!" After a tense stare-down, Zhang Han, Zhu Xiong, and Xu Qingzhi ultimately chose to withdraw. With apologetic glances cast toward Huang Ming, they dispersed, leaving him alone to face Zhang Pan and his cronies.

Huang Ming had watched it all with cold detachment, his face betraying not the slightest hint of anger.

As someone who had traversed worlds, his temperament was already that of an adult; how could he be so easily provoked by a few words as the youths were? Moreover, he could see that the other’s status outstripped even those scions of noble houses—getting into a direct conflict with him would be most unwise.

Thus, when faced with such taunts, the best course was simply to ignore them. They likely wouldn’t dare act recklessly within the Imperial Academy.

Seeing Huang Ming remain so calm—unflustered, unangered—Zhang Pan felt bored and a little irritated. "Little eunuch, do you even know who I am?"

Huang Ming still smiled, gesturing politely for him to continue.

"My great-uncle is the Marquis of Jianchang. So, forget those others—even the lecturers and instructors here at the Imperial Academy are obliged to treat me with respect!"

Only then did Huang Ming realize why the noble scions were so wary of this man.

The Marquis of Jianchang, Zhang Yanling, was a seasoned noble who had served through three reigns—the most arrogant and powerful magnate in the capital for over twenty years. To exaggerate, even if a dog from the Marquis’s mansion ran wild biting people, the capital’s authorities—from the magistrates to the Ministry of Justice—wouldn’t dare interfere.

This was not because the Marquis wielded immense power, but because his backing was formidable. He and his brother, the Marquis of Shouning, Zhang Heling, were both imperial uncles; their sister was none other than Empress Zhang, the sole wife and mother to the only son of Emperor Hongzhi, Zhu Youcheng.

The very fact that a reigning monarch practiced monogamy and had only one child—a feat without precedent—showed just how highly Empress Zhang was esteemed by the Emperor.

When their only son, Emperor Zhengde, Zhu Houzhao, ascended the throne, Empress Zhang became Empress Dowager Zhang. Her status and influence naturally increased, and the two imperial uncles’ power soared accordingly, continuing to this day.

These years, the Marquis of Jianchang and Marquis of Shouning had become the greatest scourges of Beijing, yet with Empress Dowager Zhang as their towering support, no one dared discipline them.

Zhang Pan, hailing from the Marquis of Jianchang’s mansion, was thus able to act with impunity within the Imperial Academy—even the more established noble scions avoided him.

Now, for reasons unknown, he had set his sights on Huang Ming.

It was much like bullying in modern schools—a newcomer singled out by a powerful troublemaker.

Unlike those who could only endure such bullying, however, Huang Ming remained unruffled. "So it’s a legacy of family education—my apologies for not recognizing it."

The mocking undertone flew right over the heads of Zhang Pan and his cronies.

Seeing Huang Ming unmoved, someone sneered, "Little eunuch, you haven’t grasped your situation, have you? Let me make it clear.

"In this Imperial Academy, if you want to stay peacefully, you must heed Young Master Zhang’s word. If he tells you east, you cannot go west, or you’ll suffer the consequences.

"You’re new, so your earlier mistake is forgiven, but proper tribute is mandatory. Young Master Zhang, how much should he pay?"

Yes, this was standard extortion.

Huang Ming assessed it inwardly—a textbook case of school bullying.

Zhang Pan chuckled. "I hear eunuchs in the palace are adept at making money. You, little eunuch, must have profited well, so let’s set it at thirty taels a month—one tael a day. Tomorrow, before you enter the hall, bring the silver. Otherwise, don’t bother coming to the Academy."

Having spoken, they didn’t wait for Huang Ming’s reply, turning away as if certain of their victory, giving him no chance to bargain.

Though his expression remained unchanged, Huang Ming scoffed inwardly at Zhang Pan’s greed.

Thirty taels of silver may seem trivial—after all, in many modern literary works, protagonists and side characters alike toss around hundreds or thousands of taels without blinking.

But reality is not a novel. Even as an adult—and even as an official—one’s annual salary was only several dozen to a hundred taels, and that’s without any illicit income.

From Huang Ming’s recent observations, a single tael in the Ming Dynasty was equivalent to several hundred yuan in modern purchasing power. This was tantamount to paying several hundred yuan daily for peace.

While he could currently afford it—since Huang Jin had instructed that, in his absence, Huang Ming was to manage household finances—still...

"They’ve gone too far!"

"Exactly. Zhang Pan is clearly bullying you because you’re not from a high-born family. Others pay maybe five or ten taels a month, but you’re expected to pay multiples!"

Once Zhang Pan and his group departed, Zhang Han, Xu Qingzhi, and the others gathered around, outraged on Huang Ming’s behalf.

Of course, their indignation was only verbal; none would truly stand up for him. At most, they asked, "What do you plan to do?"

Huang Ming smiled. "Let me think it over. By the way, are you afraid of him because of his status, or because he mentioned having helpers outside?"

"Well..." The group hesitated briefly.

But, sharing a sense of solidarity, Xu Qingzhi answered, "It’s more about those two henchmen of his. They’re infamous thugs from the Marquis of Jianchang’s mansion—brutal, and skilled. Rumor has it they’ve taken more than one life..."

"Yes, we’ve always kept our distance, so we can’t ask our families to deal with those thugs," Zhang Han added.

Huang Ming nodded. "I see."

What exactly he understood, and what plans he formed, the others did not dare to ask.

Thus, the first day of study at the Imperial Academy continued. After several classes, as the afternoon drew to a close, Huang Ming left for home, as if nothing had happened at all.