Though Sang Qi was young, as the Crown Prince, his mother consort had taught him from a young age to be observant of everything around him. He took in the expressions of Teacher Zhang, Minister Qian, and Ye Qianning.

A faint sense of unease crept into his heart.

On reflection, he had been too agitated today, so much so that he had forgotten his mother consort’s words.

The bet had been made. Although he was still confident he would win, he had no use for that fatso’s head.

But what if...

’What if something unexpected happened? For me, the Crown Prince, to be expelled from the academy because of someone like Ye Qianning... it would be an absolute humiliation.’

’If Father Emperor finds out, I could lose my position as Crown Prince.’

’After all, Beili can’t have a dropout as its Crown Prince.’

Sang Qi lowered his gaze, thought for a moment, and then said, "If Teacher Song cannot come, then let’s call off the bet. As the Crown Prince, I will not use my position to bully the weak."

"The bet has already been made. Waiting a moment longer is no trouble." The accusation of falsifying the grades had Teacher Zhang’s anger boiling in his chest; there was no way he would let the Crown Prince just brush this aside.

’I was offering a way out,’ Sang Qi thought, ’but I didn’t expect Teacher Zhang to be so tactless.’

The spectating students were now even more dazed. The more perceptive among them could read between the lines.

If the competition were to happen, it was truly hard to say who would lose.

"It’s not as if Teacher Song is the only one who can act as a witness. If he doesn’t come, someone else can," Ye Qianning said lightly.

Sang Qi’s expression darkened further. Just as he was about to say something, the Hidden Guards sent to fetch Teacher Song returned.

Everyone looked over and saw Teacher Song running toward them from a distance...

That’s right, running—

And he seemed to be in a great panic.

In the academy, Teacher Song’s status was second only to the headmaster. His academic achievements were unparalleled. Most importantly, he had rewritten parts of the *Standards for Students*.

For anyone who violated the *Standards for Students* in front of him, the punishment was never as simple as just copying lines.

And now, this man, who normally treated the *Standards for Students* as his very life, was running...

The scene was quite a shock to everyone.

Aside from Ye Qianning and Qian Fanji, who knew what was going on, everyone else watched, dumbfounded.

"The bet... the bet... It can’t happen." Teacher Song saw the crowd and waved his hands, his voice breathless and frantic.

The scene before him was silent.

For a moment, no one knew what was happening, so no one dared to speak.

"It... It can’t happen..." Teacher Song gasped, not daring to stop moving.

Sang Qi watched, surprised, as Teacher Song ran up to them, his head covered in sweat. He stepped forward and bowed. "Teacher Song."

"Don’t..." Teacher Song bent over, taking a few gasping breaths. "Your Highness... It... It can’t happen."

"Teacher?" Sang Qi had never seen Teacher Song in such a state.

’It can’t happen?’

’Does Teacher Song think I’m going to lose?’

At this thought, his young face darkened a few shades.

"Your Highness... Ah." Teacher Song couldn’t explain it all at once, so he turned to Ye Qianning. "Miss Xiang, this bet cannot happen. He... he is the Crown Prince."

’The Crown Prince losing to this girl is a small matter, but being expelled from the academy is a major one. If the Crown Prince were to be expelled, the Emperor would be furious, and the consequences would be disastrous.’

"They said I cheated on the exam and that they suspect Teacher Zhang of falsifying the results. I am merely proving my innocence," Ye Qianning said, unwilling to let the matter drop.

"Ah, this... this... Miss Xiang, how could you possibly have cheated? It’s just this group of little brats being ignorant." Teacher Song bowed and scraped, then turned his head and began to scold the surrounding students. "You have no ability yourselves, so you suspect others of cheating. This is a complete failure of the academy’s teachings! All of you who voiced your doubts today will kneel in the Ancestor Hall for three days and copy the *Standards for Students* five hundred times."