Jian Xi walked back with light, quick steps.
It was the lightness of completing a task.
Earlier, she had encountered a female knight who stopped her saying she had a favor to ask.
This female knight said she had unintentionally passed by the small grove behind the mountain and heard someone plotting to assassinate a certain target, seemingly referring to this handsome man. The female knight asked her to pass along a message to this person.
She had asked why the woman wouldn’t go herself. The female knight said she seemed to have been discovered while eavesdropping and was now afraid of being silenced, so she had to leave the academy immediately and didn’t have time to find that man. Having just encountered Jian Xi, she was entrusting her with this task.
She also told her that saving one life was better than building a seven-story pagoda, asking her to be sure to deliver this note to the person. With that, she handed over a wax-sealed paper pill.
Jian Xi hesitated somewhat, but the other person had already stuffed the item into her hands and hurried away. Afterward, Jian Xi remained there, watching the wind move through tree shadows. It really seemed like assassins might be lurking, making her shiver involuntarily. She thought she should quickly deliver the item. What if this message was real?
Originally not knowing where to find the person, she could only return to the women’s academy first, but she encountered him outside the women’s academy, so naturally she had to hand it over.
She was somewhat intimidated by his beauty and deadly aura, not daring to say much. She handed over the item and left.
At this moment, feeling she had done a good deed, she couldn’t help but feel cheerful.
Returning to her lodging, she thought about the day’s events, about the words on the lecture hall’s outer wall, about what that gentle and handsome young man had said to her, about the brilliance that shone in his eyes when he spoke of women needing to produce their own voices and strength.
Her eyes also slowly began to shine with brilliance.
She suddenly spread out paper and ground ink, writing swiftly. Soon she had completed two pieces of correspondence.
One was a letter written to Fang Huai’an, telling him she had received his kindness and felt deeply guilty. Regarding the money she owed him, she asked for some time and promised to repay it double in the future.
The other was an article starting from her observations at the academy that day, drawing on Tie Ci’s words to express her inner thoughts and future aspirations. Eloquent and flowing, it was a thousand-character masterpiece written in one breath.
After finishing, she sealed each separately and asked the academy’s female servants to deliver them respectively to Fang Huai’an in the men’s quarters and to the dean’s secretary office that collected application articles.
Both pieces of correspondence were delivered promptly to their intended destinations. Fang Huai’an, as a key student of Celu Academy, lived alone in a quiet room in the men’s quarters’ Alpha Hall. His servant dressed in black delivered the letter to him. Fang Huai’an opened it in surprise, not understanding why Junior Sister Jian had suddenly sent a letter in the middle of the night.
After reading it, he became even more surprised and slammed the table, saying: “Why must Teacher Li do this!”
Teacher Li was the instructor he and Jian Xi shared, also the one who had privately advised Jian Xi to voluntarily withdraw from competition since she had received Fang Huai’an’s kindness.
Fang Huai’an stopped mid-sentence, unwilling to criticize his teacher behind his back. He took the letter and hurried to leave, but his servant blocked the door, saying in a hoarse voice: “Young Master, it’s late at night.”
Only then did Fang Huai’an realize that going to the women’s academy to find someone at this hour was quite inappropriate. He immediately turned back, hastily writing a letter while saying: “Just some silver – how can this force someone to sacrifice their future? What kind of person would that make me? This absolutely cannot stand!” He finished writing in one swift motion and handed it to his servant. “Please trouble yourself with this trip – help me deliver it immediately. The academic competition begins tomorrow, so if she submits her application now, it’s still not too late.”
The servant nodded, keeping his head lowered with his face deeply hidden in shadow.
As he turned to leave, this person walked with a slight limp. Fang Huai’an watched his departing figure and said somewhat apologetically: “Saving you was just a small effort – you really didn’t need to sell yourself into bondage…”
The servant didn’t turn back, saying in a hoarse voice: “Young Master speaks too highly. This humble person has nothing of value – all I can repay you with is this broken body.”
This conversation had been repeated many times. Fang Huai’an sighed, thinking of Jian Xi’s situation and feeling confused about how showing kindness to others didn’t seem to be a good thing. He could only wave his hand and let the servant go.
The servant took the letter and walked out of the courtyard.
He didn’t head toward the women’s academy.
Passing by a pond along the way with no one around.
He casually tore the letter into pieces and threw them into the pond.
The servant watched the fragments swirl and slowly sink. The foolish koi in the pond thought food had arrived and competed to surface with mouths open to snatch them.
Finding this amusing, the servant chuckled.
The calm mirror-like water surface reflected his face.
A scarred and rugged face, as if it had been burned by fire, corroded by poison, and carved by knives – a damaged face.
…
Outside the women’s academy, Murong Yi peeled open the wax pill to find just a blank piece of paper inside. The paper was of fine quality, wrapped around a piece of crispy candy.
The candy was extremely brittle – with just a little pressure, it crumbled.
Like a boring joke.
Murong Yi thought of the young woman’s slightly flushed face and her excuse full of holes.
With people constantly coming and going in the current academy, there were hardly any secluded places. What kind of idiotic assassin would openly discuss murder outside the academy? And just happen to be overheard by a passerby?
If overheard and discovered, wouldn’t they kill to silence rather than allow someone to report it?
Reporting such life-threatening information to a random person on the roadside?
Clearly this little girl had told a huge lie just to approach him.
Probably thinking such unconventional behavior would leave an impression on him?
Modern girls really knew how to play games.
A slight wave of disgust rose in his heart. This young woman’s behavior inevitably reminded him of You Weixing.
Tie Ci regarded this girl with special favor, yet she was thinking of poaching Tie Ci’s corner.
All women under heaven, except for Tie Ci, were of the same inferior quality.
Murong Yi sneered, flipped his hand, and the candy powder and blank paper all drifted into the pond.
…
In a dark room, people sat facing each other drinking tea, white porcelain cups clinking with clear sounds.
Snow-white fingers performed an elegant phoenix nod, clear tea flowing like a spring into a jade pool.
“Will this really work?”
The questioner’s voice was gentle, with curiosity mixed into his peaceful tone.
“Why wouldn’t it work?” The responder was even calmer, gathering wide sleeves while serving tea to the questioner opposite.
“But I think this plan is quite childish and simple.”
“Sometimes, the simpler the scheme, the easier it is to succeed. The more complex the plan, the more loopholes there might be.”
“This plan also has many loopholes and can’t withstand scrutiny.”
“No scrutiny is needed.” The tea server said calmly. “Even the cleverest people can’t resist heart ailments. Do you know what those two’s current heart ailment is?”
“Politics? Da Qian and Liaodong? Their respective identities?”
“Those are more distant matters. But currently, their heart ailment, even the knot lodged in their hearts, is Yannan – it’s You Weixing.”
“Please elaborate.”
“You Weixing’s actions will make Tie Ci and Murong Yi from now on especially wary and disgusted by those who repay kindness with enmity and love to poach others’ corners. No matter who it is, as long as they give these two such an impression, they’re finished from then on.”
“I understand. By sending this letter, Jian Xi has forever lost the Crown Princess’s regard. Even if the Crown Princess doesn’t mind, Murong Yi would never allow anyone similar to You Weixing to approach the Crown Princess again. But why do you think Jian Xi is our greatest opponent? Isn’t this girl not even participating in the debates?”
“We weren’t originally certain whether she would be our opponent, but the Crown Princess’s earlier words made us discover a possibility – that under equal conditions, excellent women might have more opportunity than us to get close to the Crown Princess.”
“Because the Crown Princess wants the academy to produce a group of excellent, capable women to assist her in the future?”
“Not only that. She not only wants to stabilize this realm as a female emperor herself, but also wants women to share half of governing this world.” Another person continued.
Someone in the room’s shadows laughed coldly.
“Moreover, she…” The speaker suddenly stopped. “…So regardless of whether she has the possibility, this candidate must be dealt with first. While also planting a nail for the Crown Princess.” The tea drinker laughed softly. “Otherwise, how would we have our opportunity? How could we continue that great matter afterward?”
Someone said: “What about Fang Huai’an? He nearly disrupted things earlier.”
“Don’t worry. We have our people there – he can’t disrupt anything.”
The people in the room raised their teacups. The tea was clear and cool, with slight ripples reflecting deep eyes colored like frost.
“Using tea in place of wine, we toast to each nail that falls into place.”
“To the future where setting things right can be greatly anticipated.”
…
The next morning, while eating breakfast on the second-floor platform of the small building, Tie Ci still hadn’t waited for Murong Yi to mention last night’s incident.
But she wasn’t the type to keep things bottled up and puzzle over them alone. When her master used to tell her bedtime stories, she always loved to say that the melodramatic romance authors from their place loved creating misunderstandings between men and women, and ninety percent of couple misunderstandings were because you don’t speak and I don’t speak and no matter how much I’m tormented I won’t speak and for no reason at all I just won’t speak I’ll keep my mouth tightly shut and even if my family is destroyed and my arms and legs are broken I still won’t speak like a qualified Stockholm syndrome victim. Her master said that every time she read such novels, she became furious and wanted to rush into the book to shout at the female protagonist “are you sick” while sending razor blades to the stepmother author who tortured for torture’s sake. She repeatedly and seriously warned Tie Ci that if she ever dated in the future, she must never keep things bottled up – if she had questions, ask them; if she couldn’t ask, then beat the hell out of him. Better to break up thirty thousand times than suffocate herself once.
Little Tie Ci’s bedtime stories were like this – more refreshing and memorable than any Disciple Rules or Biographies of Virtuous Women.
So she asked: “Last night I saw someone intercept you and give you something. Was it food? Don’t hide snacks from me.”
Murong Yi paused, then said frankly: “It was a piece of candy, but just one piece. I crushed it and threw it away.”
This response seemed to follow her line of questioning.
Murong Yi then asked: “What, craving snacks? I’ll go down the mountain to buy some for you, or you can make requests and I’ll make them. I’ll call Rong Pu to assist.”
Tie Ci pushed Murong Yi away, ignoring his ill-intentioned suggestion, and continued: “I saw her stop you and say a lot – what did she say? A confession?”
She wasn’t actually one to dig to the bottom of things, but she suddenly remembered her master’s explanation that jealousy was romantic sentiment, and couples who weren’t jealous wouldn’t last long.
Murong Yi smiled while adding porridge for her, not immediately answering.
Since Jian Xi’s words were obviously full of holes and clearly untrue, it was better not to tell Tie Ci. She was naturally inclined to worry, and it was rare for her to relax at the academy – why drag her into these messy emotions?
He said: “Right, a love confession. Said some nonsensical things. Don’t be so kind-hearted in the future – not everyone deserves your kindness.”
Dan Shuang couldn’t help saying: “Another You Weixing!”
Chi Xue quickly tugged at her clothes. Dan Shuang realized her slip of tongue, and seeing both people across from her fall silent, she felt very regretful and quietly withdrew.
She went outside and happened to encounter Rong Pu’s servant coming to ask if Tie Ci was awake and to relay Rong Pu’s message that the academic competition was about to begin.
The servant was very clever and, seeing Dan Shuang’s displeased expression, thinking the academy’s hospitality was lacking, immediately inquired. Dan Shuang was someone who couldn’t keep things to herself, and after several solicitous inquiries, she said lightly: “It’s nothing much, just that scheming people exist everywhere. I only hope the dean will manage the miscellaneous people properly and not let them dance in front of Her Highness.”
Hearing this, the servant returned and reported to Rong Pu. Rong Pu naturally knew Dan Shuang wouldn’t speak without basis, so he ordered people to investigate.
The academy was now under Rong Pu’s control. Before long, Rong Pu learned what had happened last night. With his intelligence, he naturally understood what taboo this incident had touched, and couldn’t help frowning.
…
In the small building, Tie Ci said nothing.
Not because her words were stimulating, but because she vaguely felt Murong Yi hadn’t told the truth. After being together for so long, many things seemed telepathically connected, and intuition became very sensitive.
But having reached this point, she couldn’t ask further.
She smiled and picked up some small dishes for Murong Yi with her chopsticks. Murong Yi felt his words and actions were completely forthright and didn’t think much of it, happily reciprocating. After finishing their meal, he personally used hot water to clean her hands and face, asking: “Want to go watch the excitement?”
Today’s academic debates had already begun, taking place in Jiangwen Hall. In the center of the vast hall was a three-tiered platform for poetry recitation, debates, and scholarly discussion. On both sides sat deans, great scholars, and famous teachers from the three academies and among the people, serving as judges.
Below were simple seats extending from inside the hall all the way outside. The hall’s windows on all four sides had been opened, making the space very expansive.
Tie Ci had already declined Rong Pu’s suggestion to serve as a judge. She was quite clear about her own capabilities – she wasn’t skilled in Confucian classics, which had been her weak point during academy studies. How could she qualify to sit up there pretentiously judging others’ futures?
She would just mix in with the crowd, watch the excitement, and observe some details not visible from the platform. Naturally, professional people would select based on literary talent and learning.
The debates lasted three days. Without regard to academy affiliation, applicants first submitted articles for preliminary selection. After passing the initial screening, they entered a unified list. Once the academic competition began, lots were drawn to determine order. The first round involved teacher questioning on classics, policy questions, practical affairs, arithmetic, natural philosophy, economics, law, and other subjects, selecting the top hundred. The second round involved impromptu poetry and essay composition, selecting the top thirty. In the third round, these thirty drew lots to determine opponents and set questions to test each other, with victory going to those who stumped their opponents.
Finally, these fifteen would compete in martial arts at the training ground. Requirements for scholars in this area weren’t too high – mainly comparing horsemanship and archery, essential skills among the six arts of a gentleman. Rankings would be determined, with the top ten selected.
She smiled and stood up: “Let’s go.”
…