The room fell silent once again like death itself.
From the only bed in the far corner that had curtains drawn, someone suddenly lifted the curtain and looked out.
Tie Ci only saw a pair of cold, indifferent eyes.
Cui Shi struggled to lift his head, but Tie Ci’s hand was like a hydraulic jack—there was no way he could raise his head. Cui Shi’s face was pressed into a pancake, making muffled crying sounds. Tie Ci loosened his grip slightly and said: “For the sake of being dormmates, you don’t need to lick it clean. Otherwise, how can I sleep with my bed all sticky? I’ll give you a quarter-hour to clean it up properly. If there’s even a bit of powder residue left, then I won’t mind you licking it clean before I change the sheets.”
What followed was the entire room silently watching Cui Shi wipe down Tie Ci’s bed. When dry cloth wasn’t enough, he used his sweat towel; when the sweat towel wasn’t enough, he used his sleeves. In the complete silence, only Cui Shi’s whimpering could be heard: “How can there be such a vile person in this world…”
Dan Shuang rolled her eyes.
Li Zhi turned his head away, while Jin Wanliang didn’t bother to hide his snickering. Cui Shi didn’t dare lash out at Tie Ci, so he glared hatefully at Jin Wanliang instead.
That big fellow Fat Tiger, however, smiled and cupped his hands toward Tie Ci, saying in a simple, low voice: “This humble one is Tian Wu, from Yongliang. A fourth-rank student. If Brother Ye needs water, shall I go fetch it for you?”
Tie Ci burst out laughing: “If you added the character ‘gang’ to your name, you’d really be Fat Tiger.”
Tian Wu didn’t understand this reference and scratched his head: “I am fat and born in the year of the tiger. Since childhood, relatives and friends have all called me Fat Tiger.”
Dan Shuang, who had also heard her master’s fairy tales, pointed at Cui Shi and said: “Little Husband.”
Then pointed at Li Zhi: “Big Hero?”
She was about to point at Tie Ci and say Shizuka, but Tie Ci immediately said: “Me—Doraemon.”
The two shared a knowing laugh for a while. Cui Shi finally finished cleaning the bed, turned around, went back to his own bed, pulled up his blanket, and stopped talking.
Li Zhi walked over awkwardly and said: “Brother Ye, this dormitory head position…”
“Whoever wants to be it can be it. This humble one cannot bear such a weighty responsibility,” Tie Ci immediately refused.
Li Zhi’s face flushed red and white alternately. Just then, urgent footsteps could be heard outside. Li Zhi looked up at the water clock and said anxiously: “Oh no, the water-fetching time is almost up!”
Though he spoke urgently, his feet didn’t move. Instead, Tian Wu jumped up in panic, grabbed the water bucket from behind the door, and hurried off with it.
Tie Ci frowned and asked: “What? Is water also rationed here?”
“Not entirely. It’s just that hot water is relatively scarce. There’s an order for water-fetching times. First-rank dormitories have no restrictions and can fetch water anytime. Second-rank dormitories can go during the day without problems. Third-rank dormitories can fetch water after dinner for washing. As for fourth-rank dormitories and us… we have to wait until everyone else has finished before we can go, with each person limited to one small basin.”
Li Zhi glanced at Tie Ci but didn’t dare mention that there was also a hierarchy within the dormitory. For instance, Tian Wu fetched water most of the time, and he usually got the least share each time.
While the two were talking, the curtains of the innermost bed were pulled back, and the person inside finally came out. This person looked older than the others, with delicate features and an extremely pale complexion. His dark robe was trimmed with black cotton, but his entire bearing was like that of a first-rank student—straight-backed, eyes looking straight ahead. He took out a basin from under his bed and went out.
Everyone in the room stared at him, but he seemed to regard no one, didn’t greet anyone, and walked out with his head held high.
Li Zhi waited until he left before saying awkwardly: “This person… we still don’t know where he’s from. We only know he’s from a fourth-rank dormitory and his name is Tong Rushi. Everyone in our dormitory has been transferred here from other dormitories for various reasons that made them unable to stay. Jin Wanliang and I were both kicked out because we were too weak and couldn’t keep up with martial training. I’ve only been here a few days myself. Fat Tiger was bullied out of the fourth-rank dormitory because he’s too simple-minded. Cui Shi couldn’t get along with his dormmates and was expelled from several dormitories before being driven here. Only Tong Rushi, I heard, had excellent grades in all tests when he first enrolled, but for some reason kept getting into fights, fighting his way from first-rank to second-rank dormitories, and finally just moved here himself. He’s actually still considered a first-rank student, but refuses to wear white silk, saying it’s the color of the dead, and chose to hang black cotton instead… A very independent person. I heard his family is wealthy and stuffed the school with a lot of silver, so the teachers turn a blind eye… In any case, he’s an odd person…”
“Why does he fetch water himself?” Tie Ci asked an unrelated question.
Li Zhi made an “ah” sound, opened his mouth, and after a long pause said: “…Well, he seems unwilling to use the water Fat Tiger brings back, so he goes to fetch it himself…”
Tie Ci said meaningfully: “You say he’s an odd person. You say Fat Tiger is simple-minded. I think those two are actually the most normal people in this dormitory!”
Li Zhi gaped, made an “ah” sound, and after a long pause, his face slowly turned red.
Tie Ci walked to Tong Rushi’s bedside. The bed curtain wasn’t properly arranged, leaving a small gap. Tie Ci unconsciously tilted her head, but before she could see what was in the gap, Li Zhi walked over to point out the cabinet for storing luggage and miscellaneous items. Tie Ci had no intention of peeping at others in public, so she followed him to organize her things.
Soon Fat Tiger came back, splashing water all the way. He first called for Tie Ci to bring a basin, but Tie Ci took his basin and filled it up for him first, then said: “Starting tomorrow, everyone will take turns fetching water. I’ll go first tomorrow.”
Li Zhi said nothing, Jin Wanliang smiled and nodded repeatedly, and Cui Shi threw off his blanket to protest, but when Tie Ci looked at him with a smile, he shivered and quickly retreated under his covers.
Tian Wu said blankly: “Ah? Why don’t you want me to fetch water anymore? Is it because I spilled too much? Ah, those guys always mess with me. By the time I get there, there’s only a little hot water left in the bucket. I have to tip the bucket over to pour out enough…”
“Did someone also tip over the bucket when you were pouring, drenching you with hot water?”
“Ah, how did you know? Yes, they used to do that all the time. Later I learned to be smart—when pouring water, I always brace the bucket with my arm!”
Tie Ci glanced at the deep marks on Tian Wu’s arms, then looked at Li Zhi, whose face turned pale.
“So tell me, what other ridiculous rules does this academy have? I should learn them too.”
“Nothing much,” Fat Tiger said with a simple smile. “We just have to go to the dining hall last and can’t compete with others. We have to share the cleaning duties of the entire dormitory complex with the fourth-rank students. Usually the fourth-rank students clean the lecture halls, and we clean the back two courtyards, everyone taking turns. During training classes, when moving weapons and such, we remember to volunteer. When the teachers need help with daily tasks, it’s also the fourth-rank students and us who go…”
“In short, enjoy last, serve first,” Li Zhi said. “There are also some academy rules. They’re carved at the lecture hall and at the dormitory supervisor’s gate. Besides the usual ones like not leaving the academy without permission, not bringing outsiders into the dormitories, not associating with people outside the academy, not disrespecting teachers, etc., there are also many trivial rules. For instance, no loud talking during breaks and after returning to dormitories, dormitories must be kept clean, no sleeping during noon rest, books must be held upright with both hands when reading but cannot cover the face. No more than one book on the desk; clothing must not be disheveled, men’s hair cannot reach the waist, women’s hair must reach the waist, no hanging clothes to dry, waste buckets cannot contain waste…”
Tie Ci listened to his endless recitation without wanting to comment on how absurd many of these rules were. Waste buckets—that is, trash cans—can’t contain trash?
No hanging clothes to dry? Then where do you dry washed clothes? Let them get moldy in boxes?
No sleeping during noon rest? Then what kind of noon rest is it?
“…Cannot bring outside food into the academy…”
Tie Ci looked through the window at the distant first-rank dormitories, brightly lit with sounds of revelry carrying far. Dan Shuang, with her keen eyesight, said beside her: “They seem to be having a feast. Someone’s carrying wine, someone’s carrying roasted chicken.”
At this hour, the dining hall had long closed, and the academy didn’t sell alcohol either.
Tie Ci turned to look at Li Zhi.
Li Zhi calmly finished his next sentence: “…All the above rules only apply to second-rank dormitories and below.”
Tie Ci: “…”
“What if we break the rules?”
“Second-rank dormitories might be excused depending on the situation. Third-rank dormitories will receive some punishment, with the severity escalating accordingly,” Tong Rushi suddenly pushed the door open and coldly added the next line.
Tie Ci stared at his face, feeling inexplicably familiar, and wanted to talk with him more: “What other rules are specially designed for us?”
But Tong Rushi ignored her, walking to his own bedside and lowering the curtain again, apparently even washing up within his own enclosed space.
Li Zhi immediately picked up the conversation: “…There are too many rules, and they can even be added at any time based on the mood of the first-rank big shots. So in the academy, just remember not to say one extra word, not to take one extra step—speak little and do much. Also, the academy is full of factions and regional cliques. Different places of origin, different backgrounds, different social connections all create new factions. The Capital faction and the Haiyou faction are the two most powerful, and the Southern and Northern factions also have considerable strength. Many people play all sides… These people enjoy many privileges. In daily life, we must be careful to avoid them, not offend them, and not get involved, because with our low status, if we’re not careful we’ll be caught in the middle, which would be very difficult…”
Tie Ci’s eyes gradually widened as she listened.
What did this mean? The corrupt practice of forming cliques in the imperial court had already spread to the ivory tower?
She knew that the South had always been flourishing in literary culture, occupying the major positions in imperial examinations. Over time, Southern faction officials gradually gained control of discourse, working hard to suppress the Northern faction. The annual North-South admission numbers in imperial examinations clearly demonstrated this point.
It seemed that important places like academies inevitably became battlegrounds for Southern and Northern factions to compete over.
But these people were still studying—what were they doing forming cliques and factions! These people were talents cultivated by the state, future pillars of the imperial court. If they were wasting their energy on internal strife and political maneuvering now, what would the future court become?!
She knew that academies were also small societies, and with many officials’ children, could even be considered miniatures of the imperial court. But she hadn’t expected it to be this serious—completely different from the academy He Zi had described to her.
Obviously, over these twenty years, the academy had been infiltrated by the Xiao family and various court factions with their own agendas, and had long since changed beyond recognition. It was no longer that top literary sacred ground dedicated to learning, emulating ancient sages, willing to “continue the interrupted learning of past sages and establish peace for all future generations”!
For a moment, Tie Ci even forgot her own mission, wanting nothing more than to slap this corrupt atmosphere away!
But the immediate priority wasn’t this, but rather solving many practical living difficulties.
When Tie Ci first arrived, she hadn’t expected to live in a communal dormitory. Now she faced an awkward situation—everyone was washing up, but she couldn’t handle personal matters in public.
Tian Wu had already taken off his stinking socks, his big feet splashing around in the basin, and called to Tie Ci: “Brother Ye, if you don’t wash soon, they’ll put out the lights!”
Tie Ci responded but said she wanted to take a walk, then left, planning to wash in the dark after lights-out.
Chi Xue and Dan Shuang went to the women’s quarters, separated by a wall with a moon gate guarded by a special matron.
Just as Tie Ci stepped out of her dormitory into the small hall, she ran into someone entering. The person wore instructor’s robes, had a round face and gentle features. Seeing Tie Ci, he said: “Brother Ye, I presume? This humble one is Chen Zhuolin, one of the instructors for the first-rank dormitories. The dormitory supervisor’s supplies for you today were missing some items. I’m here to deliver the supplementary items.”
The supplies the dormitory supervisor had given Tie Ci earlier, besides the uniformly made clothing, included the thinnest blanket, the hardest pillow, and the blanket was suspiciously used, with greasy, unwashed edges. Tie Ci hadn’t planned to use them anyway, intending to send Chi Xue down the mountain tomorrow to shop.
But the bedding Chen Zhuolin brought now was thick and brand new, apparently even sun-dried, seeming to still carry the scent of sunlight. The pillow, bed sheets, and other items were also all new.
Since arriving at the academy, she had faced mostly ill will. This was the first academy administrator-level person to show kindness. Tie Ci smiled and accepted them, wanting to probe and ask who was so thoughtful, when Chen Zhuolin said: “These are sent by my young master’s order. Though this humble one has a lowly position in this academy, I do have some small privileges. If Brother Ye encounters any difficulties, please feel free to seek me out.”
“Your young master is…”
Chen Zhuolin continued: “My master also asked this humble one to convey a message to Brother Ye: coming to the academy was a wise decision, better than miscellaneous training elsewhere. Please manage well here, Brother Ye, as it will surely be beneficial in the future. My master and the entire Rong family have some foundation in the academy and are willing to pave the way for Brother Ye.”
Tie Ci was silent for a long moment, then smiled while holding the bedding: “If so, please convey my thanks to the Chief Minister.”
Chen Zhuolin smiled and took his leave.
The smile on Tie Ci’s lips instantly vanished.
The Rong family’s influence at Leaping Carp Academy was indeed not to be underestimated.
Although she had encountered Rong Pu before and he should have been able to guess she would come to the academy, she had only just entered the academy today, yet Chief Minister Rong had already received the news and made arrangements for her care. His information network was truly well-informed and his personnel abundant.
The Rong family didn’t know she had come for another purpose, thinking she wanted to recruit He Zi while befriending outstanding scholars to build her network. They specially came to express their approval.
But she had always understood that Rong Luchuan upheld orthodoxy and worked to protect the emperor, not out of loyalty to her father and herself, but because he was unwilling to see the Xiao family rise to power. He considered the Tie clan a soft persimmon that could be manipulated, wanting the Rong family to prosper for a hundred years.
After all, if the Xiao family came to power, the first to be eliminated would be the Rong family who controlled the literary establishment.
Tie Ci felt somewhat vexed. She placed the bedding and other items on a chair in the small hall and went out for a walk.
The lights-out bell had already rung, and there were few people moving about in the academy. On the path toward the lecture halls, nine-turn corridors surrounded a pool of clear water. It was now early summer, with lotus flowers half-wilted and frogs vigorously puffing their bellies on lotus leaves, while fat koi lazily swam beneath.
When Tie Ci passed by this afternoon, she had seen someone leaning on the railings feeding the koi. There was no shortage of wealthy young masters here, so naturally they didn’t lack fish food. The reason Tie Ci had taken a second look was because these koi were of rare breeds, including one “Dragon Pearl” worth a thousand gold pieces.
Turning a corner, a dark shadowy figure suddenly appeared ahead. Tie Ci was startled—with the academy’s strict rules, there were still students out walking at this hour?
Looking more closely, she saw the person wore dark blue robes, not student attire, nor the dress of supervisors, instructors, senior students, or lecturing teachers. But the academy had many menial workers who weren’t required to dress uniformly. However, every type of worker had their designated areas of activity—for instance, clerks were mostly in the library, cooks near the kitchen, and they generally wouldn’t come here at this hour.
Fearing she might encounter a patrol fishing for rule violations, she didn’t approach closely but quietly observed. That person’s face was actually wrapped in cloth—was this an assassin?
The assassin by the river was fishing, suddenly turning to face her. His face was covered with cloth, the left half reading “Mountain Chief?” and the right half reading “Rong Pu?”
Tie Ci: “…”
Wait, if you’re going to fish illegally, just fish illegally. What’s the meaning of writing these characters on your face? If discovered, are you planning to openly frame someone?
And you chose the academy’s biggest leader and the student with the most powerful backing. How impressive.
That fellow fished for a long time, but the fish in this pond were all well-fed and plump, completely disdainful of such charity food. After a long time with no catch, the person put away his fishing rod.
Tie Ci had been waiting until she was nearly asleep. Seeing him pack up the fishing rod, she perked up, planning to quietly follow and see what species this character belonged to.
But that fellow, after putting away the fishing rod, started taking off his clothes.
Tie Ci was bewildered by the wind.
Getting angry enough to fight the koi in the water?
The person quickly stripped off his outer garments, revealing tight-fitting clothes underneath—a beautiful inverted triangle back, slender waist, and long legs. Tie Ci couldn’t help but silently praise how beautiful it was.
With a slight splash, the person flowed smoothly into the water. As the water rippled, Tie Ci curiously watched while quietly moving forward to hide his clothes in the nearby grass.
Moments later, the person surfaced, one hand grabbing a large turtle, the other clutching a fat koi.
So fishing failed, but going into the water personally was for an extra meal.
When he came ashore and found his clothes missing, he wasn’t anxious. He chuckled softly into the darkness: “Come out. I saw you earlier. At worst, I’ll share half of the turtle stew and grilled fish with you!”
His voice was clear and pleasant. Hearing it, Tie Ci was reminded of that bastard who had fought with her on the boat, but there were differences—this person’s voice was more mellow and beautiful, and he seemed taller than that one.
When she didn’t immediately respond, the person didn’t mind. He rummaged through his clothes and pulled out bottles and jars—oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar all complete. What he had caught was that thousand-gold koi Dragon Pearl, the kind treasured by the academy.
Holding it in his hands, he quickly scaled and gutted it with a small knife, rubbed it inside and out with oil and spices, wrapped it in lotus leaves, built a simple platform with yellow mud, lit a fire, and stuffed the fish inside to braise—the same method used for beggar’s chicken.
Watching him bustle about, Tie Ci suddenly thought of Feiyu, who was also skilled in cooking. She unconsciously studied him carefully. The person’s every movement was swift and efficient, with a man’s spirited air. Watching him, Tie Ci smiled, thinking she must be confused—that courtesan had such a delicate appearance, practically the epitome of feminine charm, completely different from this fellow who would catch koi and roast them at the slightest provocation.
Even their builds were different.
But she still asked: “Are you skilled in cooking?”
The person replied: “As a wanderer of the martial world, sleeping rough and eating in the open, how can one not know a few ways to prepare wild game? But beyond this, I’m no good. So this turtle will be sent to the kitchen tomorrow with some silver to have the cooks stew it for us. I’ll send you a bowl of soup to drink!”
Tie Ci inexplicably sighed in relief, then asked: “Are you a guard here?”
The person smiled without answering.
“Do you know this koi is very valuable? If you eat it today, the academy might hunt you down tomorrow.”
“I don’t care how much silver it’s worth. Who told it to look so good that it caught my eye? The greatest respect for a fat fish is to roast it, braise it, fry it, and stew it with rich oil and thick sauce. Everything else is wasted effort.” The man broke open the now-hardened mud ball, peeled back the lotus leaves, and fragrant aroma wafted out. “Want a piece?”
Tie Ci had been busy stirring up trouble during dinner and hadn’t eaten much. By now she was quite hungry.
Her hesitation was due to doubts about the koi’s edibility. Suddenly remembering how she had seen the palace koi as a child and clamored to eat them, only to be severely scolded by the Empress Dowager, she immediately said vengefully: “Eat!”
The koi was better than expected—dry, tender, fragrant, and delicious, melting in the mouth.
“What made you think to come fish here in the middle of the night?”
“The dining hall food is terrible! The woman serving soup had her thumb soaking in it!”
Tie Ci deeply sympathized. Glancing at the number of fish in the pond, she felt they should be enough for extra meals during her stay at the academy, bringing some comfort.
The two of them split the fish half and half, eating quickly. But if one looked carefully, both had a skill of being fast without being crude—swift yet elegant. In no time, only fish bones remained in their hands.
Suddenly, someone shouted from not far away: “Who’s there!” followed by a large group of footsteps rushing over.
Bad—discovered by the academy patrol!
Tie Ci jumped up to leave, but found that somehow her clothing tie had become caught in the brush behind her, hooked in an extremely clever way that would tear off her pants if she struggled free forcibly. She reached for her personal knife, but it was also missing. Meanwhile, her fish-eating companion leaped up and chuckled softly: “I treated you to fish, you help me take the blame. Many thanks, many thanks!”