Chapter Sixty: The Teacher Impeaches the Student

She thought this way, but the students of Class Four knew nothing of her inner thoughts. They were bracing themselves for the wrath of the Iron Mistress, but at this point, none of them were truly afraid; in fact, they were looking forward to her fury, and eagerly anticipated seeing Jiang Xiwen defeat the old shrew once again.

When the Iron Mistress stepped into the classroom, all the students fell silent. Yet, to their disappointment, she did not explode in anger; rather, she seemed almost gentle and amiable.

It was an unusually quiet lesson. The Iron Mistress herself found it rather strange—these students seemed to have reverted to their old obedient selves, as if nothing had happened yesterday.

However, as soon as class was dismissed, and the Iron Mistress had barely stepped half a foot outside the classroom door, an uproar erupted behind her.

"Has the Iron Mistress changed her ways?"

"What are you talking about? I heard Principal Li supports Xiwen, supports us..."

"Exactly, the principal never liked the Iron Mistress. If not for her husband’s backing..."

"I think that old tyrant’s finished. We don’t have to be scared of her anymore..."

No one knew which bold student had shouted out that last remark, but at that moment, all the pent-up anger in the Iron Mistress’s chest finally exploded: "Who’s spouting nonsense? You bunch of unruly brats—whoever wants to teach you can do it, I quit! I’ll wait and see how your precious Principal Li comes crawling back to beg me to return!"

In that instant, her true nature resurfaced completely. She had long forgotten Fang Sixiang’s admonishments. After more than a decade as a teacher, she was used to wielding power among her students, and her temper simply could not be contained.

And so, after three years of being suppressed by the Iron Mistress, the students finally found their voice. Her shrill outburst only stunned them for half a second before they erupted into thunderous cheers.

The breath she had just released was swallowed back down, nearly suffocating her. She stamped her foot furiously, turned, and stormed out of the building towards the office.

"Despicable! A bunch of little hooligans! Li Changtian, I’ll make you see what I’m capable of..." she cursed under her breath as she hurried back to the office.

The moment she pushed open the office door, she shouted loudly, "Old Zhang! Miss Wang! Sister Zhou!"

She breathlessly recounted how she had been struck, embellishing her tale with many exaggerations. She described the incident with Zhang Ya as a mere moment of lost control, claiming she barely touched the girl, her hand already pulling back out of pity just as it reached her face.

Then she painted Jiang Xiwen’s slap as a heinous crime, accusing the boy of harboring secret feelings for the class monitor, no better than a little thug. The Iron Mistress had not lost her wits—she skillfully shifted all blame onto Jiang Xiwen, while minimizing Zhang Ya’s involvement.

The other teachers knew Zhu Wen’s character well and recognized her tendency to exaggerate. Still, teachers stand in solidarity; the mere thought of a student striking a teacher filled them with disgust. Moreover, most of them had never even heard of Jiang Xiwen before—what kind of student would dare hit a teacher and still be considered a good child? For a moment, righteous indignation swept the office.

"Miss Zhu, don’t get so worked up over students. Report the matter to Director Fang—let’s record a demerit, expel him!" declared Teacher Wu, whose face bore nine moles, his anger plain to see.

A young female teacher with a ponytail joined in, "I’ll go speak with our Chinese department colleagues right away. This is outrageous! The principal must be told."

"The principal already knows," Zhu Wen replied, "but he’s too soft-hearted, still hesitating. I hope everyone will support me for the sake of teachers’ dignity—let’s petition the principal together. Don’t worry, Director Fang will certainly back us up."

Just as Zhu Wen finished speaking, Grade Director Xu Hui spoke up, "Let’s not be too hasty. Principal Li is prudent, and Director Fang is fair. They won’t ignore this matter."

Xu Hui’s position as grade director set him apart from ordinary teachers; aside from teaching, he possessed a keen sense for interpersonal dynamics. He sensed something was off in Zhu Wen’s approach—why stir up the office instead of going straight to Fang Sixiang? Once Zhu Wen mentioned Principal Li already knew, Xu Hui understood her motives.

His words neither offended the principal nor Director Fang, striking a perfect balance as an onlooker.

With the grade director having spoken, the other teachers—no fools themselves—quieted down. Only the more hot-blooded Teacher Wu, her nine moles bristling, insisted, "Old Dai is right, but we can’t just keep waiting. Miss Zhu was just mocked by those students. If this continues, what dignity do we teachers have left? We don’t need theatrics or a palace coup—let’s all sign a joint petition, that should suffice."

The ponytailed teacher nodded, "I agree with Teacher Wu. I’ll draft the petition right away, and our colleagues in the Chinese department can review it. Jiang Xiwen’s behavior is intolerable. I refuse to believe Principal Li will let this slide."

"Thank you, thank you all," Zhu Wen nearly burst into tears, though only she knew it was her youthful artistic talent finally coming into play. Her tears glimmered in her eyes, but she held them back, skillfully evoking sympathy from her colleagues. Soon, the petition was widely supported in the office. The ponytailed teacher quickly left to rally the Chinese department.

Xu Hui saw the rising fervor and wisely kept silent; to object would mean opposing Director Fang, so he tacitly consented.

The teachers’ efficiency far outpaced that of many other workplaces—a testament to the same diligence they brought to lesson planning and grading, which was truly admirable.

Twenty minutes later, a letter bearing the signatures of all the teachers was delivered to Principal Li Changtian by Xu Hui. Xu Hui had cleverly volunteered for this "heavy" task—not out of foolishness, but because delivering the letter allowed him to avoid signing it himself. By delivering it, he showed he wasn’t offending Director Fang’s wife; by not signing, he left himself plausible deniability in case of future conflict between the principal and Director Fang. He would simply be the messenger, with no evidence against him.

Li Changtian read the letter with an unreadable expression, sipped his water, and said calmly, "Xu Hui, what’s your view on this matter? You’re the grade director; surely you have an opinion on what concerns the junior high teachers."

Li Changtian saw through Xu Hui’s intentions. With Zhu Wen stirring up trouble, Xu Hui, as the grade director, was trying to shirk responsibility. Li Changtian had no desire to get entangled in this mess; since Fang Sixiang now knew who Zhang Ya’s father was and still couldn’t control his wife, he might as well let Xu Hui and Fang Sixiang resolve the matter themselves. If every problem required the principal’s personal intervention, then what was the point of having all these directors?