When Jiang Li went to Mingyi Hall, she brought only one maid with her—Baixue.

Although Mingyi Hall accepted only young ladies from official and noble households, its discipline was strict and rigorous. Had she not become acquainted with the instructors at Mingyi Hall during her previous life when she married Shen Yurun, she would likely know nothing about the institution now and would have made countless embarrassing mistakes.

Jiang Youyao and Jiang Yu’e clearly intended to watch Jiang Li make a fool of herself, which was why they hadn’t given her a single word of guidance. As Jiang Li and Baixue boarded the carriage, Tong’er was still reluctant to part, saying, “Miss, you must return early.”

During those eight years at Qingcheng Mountain, Tong’er and Jiang Li had been inseparable. Back then, Tong’er was Jiang Li’s only maid. Now that there were more servants around Jiang Li, Tong’er felt somewhat lost, so Jiang Li had to comfort her for quite a while.

Although bringing Baixue to Mingyi Hall meant that when others saw such a foolish-looking big girl beside Jiang Li, they would surely mock her viciously, appearances in this world couldn’t be trusted. While Baixue wasn’t as pretty or clever-looking as other maids, she possessed extraordinary strength. Ever since she had died once, Jiang Li often wondered whether, if she had some martial skills, she might have escaped that day rather than dying helplessly and unjustly.

However, martial arts couldn’t be mastered overnight. Moreover, the Jiang family was a scholarly household, and Jiang Li was a young lady—there was no reasonable excuse for her to learn martial arts. Besides, judging by this body’s constitution, Jiang Li estimated she wasn’t a martial arts prodigy, so she dismissed that idea.

Since she couldn’t learn martial arts herself, finding a strong maid could at least increase her chances of survival. Jiang Li knew that only by staying alive could there be hope. Any opportunity that increased her chances of survival by even a fraction could play an enormous role when it mattered most.

While Jiang Li and Baixue were on their way to Mingyi Hall, Jiang Youyao and her two companions had already arrived ahead of them.

Previously, Jiang Youyao never traveled together with Jiang Yu’e and Jiang Yuyan, as both were from the third branch of the family, whom Jiang Youyao looked down upon from the bottom of her heart. However, Jiang Yu’e had a sweet tongue and was skilled at flattering her, so Jiang Youyao occasionally gave her some favorable treatment.

Today, in order to provoke Jiang Li, Jiang Youyao rode in the same carriage with Jiang Yu’e and Jiang Yuyan for the first time. This appeared rather unusual in the eyes of everyone at Mingyi Hall.

“Youyao,” a young lady in pink standing at the entrance glanced behind them and asked curiously, “Isn’t your manor’s Second Miss supposed to enroll today as well? Why don’t I see her? Didn’t you come together?”

Before Jiang Youyao could speak, Jiang Yu’e jumped in first, saying, “Second Sister woke up late. She’s probably busy choosing which outfit to wear. Today is her first day of classes, so she takes it very seriously.”

Usually, when Jiang Yu’e interrupted like this, Jiang Youyao would certainly be displeased, but today she allowed Jiang Yu’e to speak freely.

As soon as Jiang Yu’e finished speaking, another tall girl sneered, “Choosing which outfit to wear? This isn’t some beauty pageant for selecting imperial consorts. What’s the point of picking outfits?”

“I heard that when your manor’s Second Miss first returned home, some people saw her and said she was quite a delicate beauty,” another young lady probed, looking toward Jiang Youyao. “Is she truly very beautiful? How does she compare to you, Youyao?”

Although Jiang Youyao at Mingyi Hall couldn’t claim to be the best in either learning or beauty, those with better scholarship couldn’t match her looks, and those with better looks couldn’t match her learning. Combined with Jiang Yuanbai’s status and position, Jiang Youyao stood out uniquely at Mingyi Hall.

Jiang Yu’e smiled and said, “Second Sister is indeed quite pretty, but she’s been in the mountains for too long, so her temperament…” She didn’t continue, but everyone thought of the fact that Jiang Li had been exiled to a nunnery and stayed there for eight full years.

After spending eight years in the deep mountains, she was probably just a country bumpkin. Having just returned to Yanjing, what could she possibly understand?

Even the young lady who had been curious about Jiang Li moments ago now showed contempt in her eyes.

The female students at Mingyi Hall judged each other by status, position, appearance, and talent. Those who came here were all the treasured pearls of their families. Their innate positions made them unwilling to be outdone by others, so whenever someone new arrived, they had to be measured and compared.

Apart from having a Chief Minister father, Jiang Li was utterly worthless. And that Chief Minister father didn’t even seem to hold her in high regard. What was there about Jiang Li worth paying attention to?

Just as they were discussing this, they suddenly heard some busybody student outside shout, “Second Miss Jiang has arrived!”

All the female students in the entire academy turned their eyes toward the entrance in unison.

At the entrance walked two young women. The one dressed as a maid had a build more robust than ordinary maids, and even her skin was dark and tanned. Wearing an apricot-red maid’s dress, rather than appearing delicate and charming, she looked somewhat comical. Her movements were more like those of a country woman from the wilderness.

Though this maid attracted attention, perhaps because of her comical appearance, she made the girl beside her seem extraordinarily ethereal by comparison.

That young lady wore a warm, gentle smile on her face, as soothing as a warm mountain breeze brushing across one’s heart, making people feel comfortable. Her features were perfectly proportioned—refined yet with a hint of heroic spirit between her brows and eyes. This gave her gentleness a touch of resilient charm.

“Is that the Jiang family’s Second Miss?” someone whispered. “She doesn’t look like someone raised in the mountains.”

On her first day of enrollment, her first time at the unfamiliar Mingyi Hall, facing people she didn’t know, this girl showed not a trace of discomfort or timidity. Her graceful and generous manner was no worse than anyone else’s.

“I think she does look like someone raised in the mountains,” someone else quietly whispered to their companion. “She has quite a spirited air about her.”

“Spirited air” was an indescribable feeling. It wasn’t something that could be learned after a few more days with an instructor, nor could it be bought with silver. This girl’s eyes were clean and clear like a pool of spring water—sweet and pure-hearted.

Even having heard so many malicious rumors about her, Second Miss Jiang appeared so gentle, pure, and kindhearted that it was truly difficult for people to feel ill will toward her.

The instantaneous shift in the surrounding people’s attitudes toward Jiang Li was immediately caught by Jiang Youyao and her companions. Jiang Youyao was furious inside—Jiang Li actually hadn’t worn any of the dresses Ji Shuran had sent over, but had her own ideas instead. She had clearly done this deliberately, deliberately trying to steal the spotlight!

Jiang Youyao’s way of thinking was truly somewhat unreasonable and petty. If Jiang Li had worn the clothes Ji Shuran sent, that would have been truly stealing the spotlight. But stealing the spotlight right now might not necessarily be a good thing. Jiang Li dressed plainly and elegantly, yet it complemented her own temperament perfectly. This way, her effortless way of standing out actually elevated her to an even higher level.

Jiang Yu’e was very puzzled. She didn’t understand why, despite Jiang Li’s utterly ruined reputation, when these students saw her, they didn’t show expressions of disgust. Could it be that reputation didn’t matter?

Jiang Li smiled slowly in her heart.

People’s eyes would always have blind spots—things they couldn’t see, things that obscured their vision. But most people were willing to believe that what they saw was everything.

For instance, whether a person was good or bad—how could one truly understand after just one meeting? What one understood was merely another person’s judgment.

She looked like a good person. With just a little effort, she could become a “good person.”