The Yan family lad went to knock on the door again. Indeed, this time the situation was different. The old man’s arrogance turned to deference, personally coming out to welcome them. The three entered the gates of Qingming Academy, said to be the most difficult academy to enter, under the infinitely envious gazes of the crowd.

There was no need to ask Yu Diao about anything. His entire current thinking seemed to be just following Feng Zhiwei. Feng Zhiwei suspected that even if she went to the latrine, perhaps he would follow? The Yan family lad was overjoyed. From his appearance, he didn’t look like he was going to be a servant but rather the Academy Head.

Feng Zhiwei wore an indifferent expression. She had nowhere to go anyway. As for the brothel, after the incident of Young Master Li’s crushed balls, it was best not to stay there long. The only regret was leaving the wide-robed guest—preparing medicine for him had made her very comfortable. She wouldn’t enjoy that anymore in the future.

She felt inside her robe, remembering the book the wide-robed guest had lent her, planning to just keep it. After all, among those who borrowed books, how many actually returned them?

The Yan family lad followed cheerfully behind her, saying: “This younger brother is Yan Huaishi. May I know elder brother’s great name?”

Huaishi? This fellow was so clever he could squeeze oil from stones—calling him this name really didn’t fit. This name suited Yu Diao better. Thinking of this, Feng Zhiwei smiled and said: “Your brother is Wei Zhi.”

The other person let out a long “Oh,” clearly not believing it.

Feng Zhiwei didn’t care what he thought and asked Yu Diao in a kindly manner: “Name?”

She had figured out that when talking to this person, one absolutely couldn’t be complicated. The simpler, the more likely to get an answer.

Sure enough, Yu Diao answered: “Gu Nanyi.”

“Good name,” Feng Zhiwei praised insincerely, though thinking inwardly that such a good name was wasted on him.

Qingming Academy was very large, occupying a hundred li, divided into two branches—Political History and Military Affairs. All students entered in white robes and were treated equally, with food, lodging, and travel completely identical. It was said this rule was established by Academy Head Xin. Earlier, the court strongly disapproved, claiming this was unsafe for the sons of officials and gentry who enrolled and couldn’t display aristocratic dignity. Xin Ziyan was quite resolute. He didn’t oppose the court but immediately posted a notice at the academy gate that read: “This academy has unified lodging, meals, and clothing. Students may also provide their own to distinguish high and low status. This academy only recognizes clothing, not people. Anyone wearing silk garments and eating separate meals must take one additional examination at year’s end, and their grade evaluation must be no lower than excellent; anyone wearing satin garments and eating separate meals must take two additional examinations at year’s end, and their grade evaluation must be no lower than outstanding… and so on accordingly.”

Once the rule was announced, silk garments left the market. The young masters hurriedly changed into the unified blue robes. If anyone invited them to wear silk garments, they would immediately spit in their face.

With unified clothing, food, lodging, and travel, one couldn’t tell status levels, and students interacted more naturally and casually. However, there were still quiet rumors saying that some students in the academy had very high status, very very high. When someone asked: How high? The person being asked would definitely mysteriously wave their finger—Cannot say, cannot say.

As Feng Zhiwei walked along, she listened to Yan Huaishi’s endless introduction to the academy. Judging by his familiarity, he didn’t seem like a student who had always been unable to gain entry, but rather like someone who had already been studying at the academy for three or four years.

“How do you know all this so clearly?” Feng Zhiwei asked him.

Young servant Yan grinned and rubbed his index finger and thumb together, indicating: Silver notes are omnipotent.

“The Yan family is wealthy from maritime trade. Why would you still run to the capital to scheme everywhere and suffer this indignity?”

“The court emphasizes agriculture and suppresses commerce. No matter how wealthy merchant families are, they must still bow to local officials,” Yan Huaishi gazed up at Qingming Academy’s flying eaves, his worldly-wise eyes suddenly growing more profound. “The Imperial Capital is always a place with many opportunities.”

Feng Zhiwei smiled, thinking that great clan families had many children, and the competition for the next family head must also be fierce. This person running to the Imperial Capital was either being exiled for being unable to bear the scheming, or he had broad vision, realizing that Imperial Capital resources would give him an advantage in his future struggle for power, and came here deliberately. Looking at this Yan family lad’s flexible manner, the latter possibility seemed more likely.

The old gatekeeper brought them to the main courtyard and handed them over to a middle-aged scholar. Whispering a few words in the scholar’s ear, that person revealed slightly surprised eyes, then smiled and invited Feng Zhiwei to record her name and background. Feng Zhiwei had long ago fabricated a false background for herself—Wei Zhi, a farm boy from Shannan Circuit, both parents deceased, relying on relatives in the capital.

That person carefully inquired about the identities of the two attendants. One could see that while the academy appeared relaxed on the outside, it was actually quite vigilant about internal security. Most people walking around also had light, agile steps and possessed martial skills. Yan Huaishi was like someone full of mechanisms that moved at the press of a button. Without Feng Zhiwei needing to brief him, he had long ago fabricated a credible story, even including Gu Nanyi.

Gu Nanyi always stood quietly beside Feng Zhiwei, sleeves hanging down, neither speaking nor moving, his gaze only falling on the ground one chi three cun before him. The wind in the hall lifted the light gauze under his veil, occasionally revealing a glimpse of his jade-like exquisite chin.

People coming and going all gave him an extra glance, attracted by his jade-carving-like refinement and stillness, yet in the next moment immediately looked away—must be a martial arts master. Masters were all this mysterious and abnormal.

Only Feng Zhiwei firmly believed he was just simple-minded.

After completing registration and receiving the waist token representing student status, following the scholar’s directions toward the academy’s rear courtyard lodging area, Feng Zhiwei smiled with great surprise: “The whole world spreads word of how difficult Qingming Academy is to enter. Now it seems surprisingly simple.”

Yan Huaishi’s eyes rolled as he gave her a ghostly look, thinking: Let you play dumb, young fellow!

Feng Zhiwei had just walked a few steps when she suddenly heard a commotion and shouting not far away. People walking on all sides immediately seemed to receive an order and swiftly moved aside to the roadside. Before Feng Zhiwei could react, she felt her vision blur as a figure flashed by. Someone swept past right in front of her nose at high speed. Soft fabric brushed against her face, releasing a wave of seemingly familiar scent.

Gu Nanyi’s sleeve instantly lifted, his fingers flashing out like lightning. However, that shadow slipped past Feng Zhiwei’s side like a swimming fish. Feng Zhiwei turned her head in astonishment and only then saw what appeared to be one person being dragged by another person with feet not touching the ground, rolling past crookedly like a hurricane, greeting randomly all along: “Ah, pardon me!!! Ah, didn’t bump into you, did I?! Ah ah, storm passing through, idle people make way!”

The idle people swiftly made way, each with tacit understanding. Even Yan Huaishi jumped aside. Only Feng Zhiwei and Gu Nanyi foolishly still stood in the middle of the road.

Feng Zhiwei was still thinking: Hasn’t the person already rushed past? What else to make way for?

But very soon she got her answer.

“Don’t run—”

A voice sharp as steel wire closely pursued the rolling clouds of dust where that person fled, piercing straight into everyone’s ears. Then a mass of brilliant reds and greens appeared—six or seven women with rolled-up sleeves exposing their arms, running with big strides while wielding chopping boards, gaudily swept past Feng Zhiwei’s face again.

Wherever they passed left a trail of fragrant wind. Feng Zhiwei choked on a noseful of strong, gaudy rouge. Brothel servant Feng Zhiwei immediately recognized it as the cheap rouge “Night-Blooming Jasmine.”

“What is this… about?” Feng Zhiwei watched that group of country orioles and swallows thunder past with the momentum of brave troops pursuing defeated bandits, rarely stuttering.

If this weren’t the noble and prestigious Qingming Academy, she would have thought she’d arrived at a country marketplace.

“Oh.” The only calm one was Yan Huaishi, who said gleefully: “Normal. In the future you might see this two or three times daily. You’ll get used to it. It’s late, hurry and go eat. After eating, rest. Tomorrow, big brother, you’ll have to be assigned to a hall—see whether you go to Political History or Military Affairs.”

Feng Zhiwei smiled. The three went to the dining hall. Tonight’s meal was hand-pulled meat noodles, served in large porcelain bowls filled to the brim, with seven or eight pieces of glistening braised pork. If it wasn’t enough, they could get more. The noodle flavor was simple and honest, the aroma rich and mellow, full of rustic, substantial character. The whole hall was full of students wandering around holding large bowls. The whole hall resounded with slurping sounds of eating noodles.

Yan Huaishi quickly got into the spirit, holding his large bowl while slurping and somehow scurrying to some other table to build relationships, completely without the discomfort wealthy family sons should have. Feng Zhiwei was stunned for a while, then immediately began following local customs and learning to slurp noodles, thinking all the while that Qingming Academy didn’t resemble a scholarly academy famous throughout the realm at all—it was simply like an old farming family in the Imperial Capital suburbs.

After eating for a while, she noticed an eerie silence beside her. Looking again, Gu Nanyi sat to one side, holding his bowl in one hand while slightly lifting his gauze veil with the other, revealing half a face with features so exquisite they made one want to gasp. People throughout the hall put down their bowls to watch him, yet he was completely oblivious, only looking at the bowl before him.

Feng Zhiwei twitched the corner of her mouth, revealing a smile that didn’t reach her eyes—Young master, are you eating or not eating? Young master, are you eating noodles or selling your face?

Then she heard Gu Nanyi murmuring and counting: “One, two, three… seven!”

What seven?

“Bang!”

Before the question mark in her mind could be answered, with a bang Gu Nanyi heavily set down his bowl, soup splashing everywhere. Feng Zhiwei swiftly dodged. The peeping observers on all sides all jumped in unison.

“Seven pieces!”

Seven pieces… what seven pieces? Feng Zhiwei saw he had been looking down at his bowl the whole time, seemingly counting the meat in the bowl? She leaned over to count—indeed seven pieces of meat.

But so what?

Looking at his deeply aggrieved posture, could it be that his bowl contained seven pieces of human flesh?

Feng Zhiwei picked up a glistening piece of braised pork from her own bowl and carefully examined it against the daylight… couldn’t tell anything. It was said that human flesh was more sour…

“Eight pieces.”

After nearly smashing his bowl, that person finally spoke two more words. Feng Zhiwei was stunned for a long while, thought of an absurd idea, and tentatively asked: “You want… eight pieces of meat?”

Gu Nanyi kept his eyes straight ahead and solemnly nodded at his noodle bowl.

Feng Zhiwei shed tears—Young master, if you think the meat is too little, just say so directly. As long as you stop torturing me, let alone eight pieces, I have no objection to nine pieces… How many pieces left in the bowl? Give them all to him!

She diligently hurried to transfer meat from her own bowl, wanting to give it all obligingly. But just as she transferred one piece, Gu Nanyi’s chopsticks blocked, and her chopsticks could no longer go down.

Then he said: “Eight pieces.”

Fine, eight pieces…

Feng Zhiwei raised her hand and pulled down his gauze veil, saying in a low voice: “I beg you to have some shame. I still want to eat properly.”

Eating under everyone’s wolf-like gazes was really too oppressive!

Young Master Gu finally ate his eight pieces of meat contentedly. Feng Zhiwei, however, found it somewhat difficult to swallow, worrying when the stupid thing she’d done would come to an end.

After eating, they went to their assigned courtyard residence. The not-large courtyard had two rooms—one for small-scale receiving guests, one divided into inner and outer suites. The smaller suite had one bed, the larger suite had two beds. One could see it separated the master’s and attendants’ rooms. Feng Zhiwei breathed a sigh of relief. The sleeping problem that had been somewhat troubling her was resolved. Yan Huaishi smiled as if seeking credit: “Big brother, satisfied? This is the best student courtyard in the academy. The dormitory supervisor had great difficulty allocating it to me.”

Feng Zhiwei smiled appreciatively and asked: “So you know the dormitory supervisor?”

“Don’t know him.”

“Then how did he take care of you?”

“After eating noodles, we knew each other.” Yan Huaishi was triumphant. “I helped him peel three cloves of garlic, and he even told me his newly married young wife’s name.”

“…”

Tired from the whole day, Feng Zhiwei lay down early but couldn’t fall asleep right away. She was somewhat unaccustomed to having two men sleeping next door. She climbed up and sat in a daze. All around was very quiet. Academy rules required everyone to sleep by the You hour. In the complete silence, even the slightest sound was infinitely magnified.

But it seemed something was missing.

Feng Zhiwei frowned, listening to the distant gurgling stream, early spring peach blossom petals drifting down, ten zhang away in the neighboring courtyard someone talking in their sleep, murmuring deeply.

Just no sound of snoring from those two people next door.

Were they not asleep, or…

“Creak”—a door sounded. The inner room door was suddenly opened. Gu Nanyi, still in that tightly covered outfit, floated out holding a pillow. Feng Zhiwei stared at him dumbfounded, having to admit that although a grown man running around everywhere holding a pillow was a very terrible thing, strangely this person in this posture actually didn’t look bad.

Even… had a little bit of temptation…

From his snow-white fingers tightly clutching the pillow, from his leisurely posture with face slightly lowered against the cloth pillow surface, from beneath his half-lifted gauze veil, snow-colored skin and soft lip line, all one shade of faint red.

That most pure, most straightforward kind, as if coming from the simplest, most primal beauty deep in the human heart, enchanting by nature due to its extreme clarity.

Feng Zhiwei suddenly thought inappropriately of a verse.

Flowing light easily casts people aside, cherries redden, plantains green…

Just as she was immersed in the beautiful mood of the poem, she suddenly saw that person clutching his pillow and walking over step by step by step, heading straight for her bed, pulling back the quilt with one motion—

And climbed in to sleep.