Lu Chang’s injuries weren’t severe enough to require medical attention. Ming Shu took a short leave from Madam Lin and found a place to treat his wounds with medicine. Since Ming Shu couldn’t enter the Bamboo Grove area anymore, and Lu Chang couldn’t go to Ming Shu’s room, the siblings found a secluded pavilion to sit in.

“Look at your hands – the old wounds haven’t fully healed, and now there are new ones.” Ming Shu held Lu Chang’s hands while applying medicine and complained. His hands were injured both front and back; the scars from fighting bandits in the mountains hadn’t even faded before new wounds appeared, making one’s heart ache to see.

Lu Chang remained silent. Her nagging brought him joy; it seemed any injury could be soothed by her few words, making the pain insignificant.

Ming Shu lowered her head to concentrate on applying medicine, then held his hands and blew on them, asking while blowing: “Does it hurt?”

“It doesn’t hurt,” Lu Chang shook his head.

“Of course it hurts,” she replied, then broke into a smile, “But my brother saved people – he’s a hero! So impressive!”

After complaining, she began praising him enthusiastically.

In front of her, Lu Chang showed no modesty, accepting all her praise while turning his palm to grasp her hand in his.

“Your hands are ice-cold. Are you wearing too little?” he frowned.

“Running around with Madam Lin made me hot when wearing too much, and now sitting still makes me feel a bit cold, but it’s fine.” Though Ming Shu said this, she still tucked her paws into his palms to absorb the warmth.

Brother’s hands were very warm.

“Are you getting used to staying at the academy?” Lu Chang asked while warming her hands.

“I’m used to it.” Ming Shu felt everything was fine as long as she wasn’t idle. Then she leaned close to Lu Chang’s ear and whispered, “Though Madam Ma snores at night like thunder, so loud I can’t sleep.”

“I’ll speak with Teacher’s wife to see if…”

Ming Shu interrupted Lu Chang’s unfinished words: “Brother, there’s no need. It’s only for a few days anyway, I’ll get used to it.”

Letting Ming Shu stay at the academy was already a difficult matter. Although it was because of the Third Prince and Minister of State’s visit, it still relied on Lu Chang’s reputation. Moreover, Teacher He’s wife and Madam Lin were both very caring toward her. She didn’t want to trouble others over such small matters, let alone have Lu Chang humble himself to ask for favors – she was even more unwilling to see that.

While Lu Chang was still considering, Ming Shu protested: “I was just chatting with you! If you bring it up to others, I won’t tell you what’s on my mind anymore!”

Between family members, there was nothing that couldn’t be said. Ming Shu spoke whatever was on her mind without hiding anything – it was pure casual conversation, with no intention of asking for his help.

Her last statement was too powerful, so Lu Chang could only say: “I understand. I won’t mention it, but tell me if you can’t bear it anymore. Don’t force yourself.”

“Thank you, Brother.” Ming Shu smiled sweetly.

Lu Chang looked at her smiling face, raised his hand, hesitated for a moment, and finally changed to half-embracing her shoulders.

Ming Shu was slightly startled, then heard him ask: “Are you still cold?” She immediately shook her head and replied: “With Brother here, I’m not cold.”

Lu Chang kept his arm around her shoulders and said: “About Xie Xi’s matter, investigate if you must, but don’t get too close to them.”

“What’s wrong?” Ming Shu heard the unusual seriousness in his tone.

“Nothing, just a bad feeling,” Lu Chang said.

Ming Shu nodded, then asked: “Brother never asks why I want to investigate Xie Xi?” She had only said she needed to investigate Xie Xi but never explained why to Lu Chang.

“If I ask, would you tell me? If you told me, would you listen to my advice?” Lu Chang asked in return.

“No.” Ming Shu had to keep others’ family matters confidential.

“I don’t do futile things.” Lu Chang wished he could control her, keep her properly in the inner courtyard, but the reality was that he couldn’t control her – it had been the same since childhood. She had her ideas; her heart was like a bird in the sky. The closer he got, the more obvious her free-spirited nature became. Besides, if she could be controlled by him, she wouldn’t be Jian Ming Shu.

Lu Chang understood – if he couldn’t control her, he could only protect her.

Though his expression showed disdain, his words carried a tone of compromise. Ming Shu smiled even more brightly: “Brother is the best!”

As the siblings chatted, time slipped away quietly. Both had matters to attend to at noon and couldn’t talk longer. Lu Chang calculated the time and urged her to go eat. Ming Shu packed up her things and was about to leave when she suddenly remembered something. She turned to Lu Chang and said seriously: “Brother, you should stay away from Tang Li too, the further the better!”

Lu Chang wasn’t close to Tang Li to begin with, so there was no question of staying away, but her warning made him curious: “Why? Have you discovered something?”

“Anyway, you’re not allowed to get close to Tang Li!” Ming Shu rubbed her hands, that strange sensation seemingly still stuck to them.

“Understood.” Lu Chang agreed.

————

Lu Chang escorted Ming Shu to her dormitory area before saying goodbye and returning to the Bamboo Grove.

Ming Shu stood watching Lu Chang walk away before turning to leave when someone called out to her.

“Miss Lu.”

Ming Shu turned to look – it was Song Qingzhao.

Song Qingzhao never expected that Ming Shu’s first reaction upon seeing him would be to look around furtively as if doing something illicit.

Fortunately, her brother had walked far away.

After confirming no one was nearby, Ming Shu spoke to Song Qingzhao: “Young Master Song, did you need something from me? The situation at Mingli Hall earlier was urgent, and I didn’t properly thank you. Thank you for saving me.” She bowed as she spoke.

Song Qingzhao waved his hand: “Miss Lu is too polite. It was nothing.” That wasn’t why he came.

“Then…” Ming Shu spoke with Song Qingzhao while still keeping vigilant of her surroundings.

“Miss Lu, are you staying at the academy for Xie Xi’s matter? Did Wen An ask you to investigate?” Song Qingzhao asked directly.

“Is Young Master Song here to persuade me to give up?” Ming Shu asked in return.

“I just don’t understand. You’re a reasonable person, why would you join Wen An in this foolishness?”

“First, I accepted her commission and am being paid for this work. Second, calling it foolishness is just your opinion – I don’t see it that way,” Ming Shu said seriously.

Song Qingzhao stood three steps away from her and calmly said: “That’s because you don’t understand Wen An. She’s been stubborn since childhood and acts rashly. It’s one thing for her to investigate Xie Xi, but she even went so far as to arrange courtesans to seduce him – this is no secret among the three families, and the Xie family has already expressed displeasure. Now she’s turned her attention to the academy – does she need to fabricate some scandal before she’ll feel at ease? Miss Lu thinks I’m not considering Wen An’s interests, but have you considered what consequences her reckless behavior might bring upon herself?”

County Lady Wen An already had a reputation for being shrewd and calculating. Doing such things before marriage – leaving aside what others might think if word got out, how would the Xie family view her? If there were truly conflicts in the future, everyone would side with Xie Xi – what good would that do her? Marriage isn’t as simple as marrying just one person.

Being prepared is good, but too much is as bad as too little.

“I understand Young Master Song’s difficult position and your concerns,” Ming Shu responded after hearing this.

She understood Song Qingzhao’s predicament – caught between his cousin and a close friend of many years, he couldn’t take sides. Moreover, despite all her investigating, Wen An hadn’t found anything concrete. Putting herself in his shoes, if someone told her today that Lu Chang was problematic but couldn’t provide solid evidence, she would also think they were talking nonsense. As for Song Qingzhao’s concerns, there was no need to elaborate – whether Wen An married into the Yongqing Marquis family or not, she would eventually marry someone, and a damaged reputation would do her no good.

“However… Young Master Song, the things that you, I, and others understand clearly – do you think someone as clever as the County Lady doesn’t understand them? Although investigating one’s future husband like this is indeed excessive, I believe the County Lady knows what she’s doing and understands the consequences better than anyone. The very fact that she sees all this yet still chooses to risk everything proves this isn’t foolishness. Sometimes in this world, there is no perfect solution – any choice we make will lead to potentially irreversible consequences, good or bad, which we must bear. When weighing two benefits, take the greater one – in the County Lady’s heart, the question of Xie Xi’s character far outweighs the concerns you mentioned. If nothing is found and Xie Xi is wrongly accused, she will naturally bear the consequences of her actions. But right now, she’s willing to pay these prices to investigate, so I will help her investigate. For me, it’s that simple.”

Song Qingzhao came to persuade Ming Shu, but after talking for so long, he found that not only had he failed to convince her, but he seemed to be getting convinced by her instead…

“But for some things, when you can see the consequences, why persist?” Song Qingzhao struggled one last time.

Ming Shu didn’t like discussing such profound principles with others, but since Song Qingzhao had saved her once and was a man who made her heart flutter, she had given a long discourse. Hearing his question, she sighed and was just beginning to consider how to answer when footsteps suddenly came from ahead.

Her philosophical mood vanished instantly, and she shrank behind a large tree like a rabbit. Song Qingzhao was bewildered by her behavior, but before he could ask, a hand reached out from behind the tree and pulled him in too.

With previous experiences of Lu Chang’s mysterious appearances deeply impressed in her mind, Ming Shu feared he might make a sudden return like last time, which would be disastrous. Hiding herself wasn’t enough – worried that Lu Chang might think too much if he discovered Song Qingzhao here, she simply pulled him in as well.

Song Qingzhao steadied himself against the tree and watched Ming Shu make a silencing gesture while remaining completely quiet.

Ming Shu peeked out and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw two strangers walking by. From behind her came Song Qingzhao’s voice: “Are you very afraid of your brother?”

“It’s not fear.” Ming Shu answered while turning back, seeing the confusion in his eyes, she waved her hand, “You wouldn’t understand even if I explained, so don’t ask.”

She had initially been puzzled by Lu Chang’s attitude – although she associated with Tao Yiqian and investigated Xie Xi, both men and while her brother didn’t fully approve, he had never stopped her. But with Song Qingzhao, it was different – her brother’s attitude was unyielding. After careful consideration, she realized it might be because of what she had said – “I want to marry him.” Her brother probably feared she would be swayed by attraction and develop some ambiguous relationship with Song Qingzhao, which was why he was so strict.

Thinking about it, Lu Chang didn’t have it easy – as a brother, he carried a stern father’s concerns.

She couldn’t let him down.

“Alright, it’s safe now.” Seeing the passersby walk away, Ming Shu clapped her hands and jumped out from behind the tree. “Young Master Song, everything has been said. I must investigate Xie Xi, but I promise I won’t fabricate anything, won’t wrongly accuse your friend, and won’t cause any trouble for the County Lady. That’s all – I need to go.”

The philosophical mood was disrupted by the passersby, and Ming Shu felt lazy.

Before Song Qingzhao could respond, she thought for a moment and added: “Oh right, you absolutely must not come looking for me in the future.”

Song Qingzhao wouldn’t have come looking for her anyway, but hearing her say this, he unconsciously blurted out: “Why can’t I come find you?”

After speaking, he was slightly stunned – his question made it sound as if he frequently sought her out.

“It’s troublesome, just don’t find me. Farewell!” Ming Shu cupped her hands and quickly slipped away.

“…” Song Qingzhao was speechless.

Previously, it had always been women persistently pursuing him, but with Lu Ming Shu, the situation was reversed, as if he had become the persistent pursuer.

————

In the following days, as the prince’s visit drew near, the work at the academy increased daily. Ming Shu was as busy as a spinning top, moving throughout the academy. Despite being busy, she became familiar with various clerks around the academy, often chatting with them during breaks from her duties.

The academy offered stable employment and a good environment, so most of the clerks had worked there for many years and were very familiar with all matters, big and small. The information they inadvertently revealed during casual conversations provided great help to Ming Shu. Moreover, from her careful observations these days, she noticed that while Xie Xi’s treatment of Tang Li appeared no different from his other friends on the surface, there were subtle tells. These hints of unusual closeness, which perhaps even Xie Xi himself hadn’t noticed, were revealing.

The County Lady wasn’t wrong – sometimes women are more perceptive than men in certain matters. Even things Lu Chang hadn’t noticed, she had seen.

Ming Shu had secretly formed a conclusion, though she still lacked concrete evidence. She didn’t speak of it, only observed quietly, waiting to finish helping Teacher He’s wife with the Third Prince and Minister of State’s visit before returning to the city to investigate Tang Li’s identity through other channels.

An orphan brought to Songling Academy by the Academy Master ten years ago shouldn’t be too difficult to investigate, though it would inevitably involve the academy. She would need to find a way to handle that later, but that was a concern for another time.

Time flew by until the day before the Third Prince and Minister of State Lu Wenhan’s visit. The entire academy, except for the examination candidates, gathered to hear the Academy Master’s instructions. Teacher He’s wife led Madam Lin and other managers in inspecting the academy, with Ming Shu helping them check everything from the Confucian Temple where the prince and Minister Lu would pay respects, to the teaching halls and lecture rooms, to Mingxin Hall where they would rest and talk, and every location along their tour route, ensuring nothing could go wrong.

Many oversights were still found during the inspection, and Teacher He’s wife hurriedly ordered corrections. Ming Shu followed along, so busy she missed lunch. Only when the sun set and darkness began creeping up the mountain did Teacher He’s wife finally let everyone rest.

Ming Shu was starving and took a shortcut back to the dining hall, planning to first attend to her empty stomach.

When she reached Spring Warmth Pavilion near the dining hall, Ming Shu heard shouting in the distance.

“Stop hitting him! Young Lord, please stop! You’ll kill him if you continue!”

Ming Shu’s steps faltered briefly before she quickly rushed toward the sound. There was a fight in Spring Warmth Pavilion, with many people already gathered around – some watching, others trying to break it up. Ming Shu stopped and looked carefully; the one throwing punches was Xie Xi.

His brows were tightly knitted, eyes seemingly spitting fire, as he struck the person on the ground with vicious force, hitting him relentlessly. The person being beaten was curled up on the ground, covering his head and wailing continuously. Many people around tried to intervene, one even crouching down to stop Xie Xi’s fists, but to no avail. Only when someone shouted “The teacher is coming!” did Xie Xi finally slow his punches.

The teacher responsible for student conduct hurriedly arrived, and seeing this scene, his beard nearly went crooked with anger. Tomorrow was the important day of the prince’s visit, yet today there was a fight – this was simply disrespecting both the prince and the academy. He immediately ordered them to stop, and even though the aggressor was the Young Lord of Yongqing, he showed no leniency, scolding them harshly.

Xie Xi endured the teacher’s scolding while keeping his eyes fixed on the person on the ground, not answering any of the teacher’s questions.

The teacher had no choice, and seeing the crowd gathering, took Xie Xi away for further discipline while having others help the beaten person to the school doctor.

The person on the ground was helped up by his friends, barely able to stand, yet still staring at Xie Xi with a dark smile.

Ming Shu recognized him.

This was the student who had nearly been hit by the falling plaque a few days ago.

Though the incident had been ruled an accident by the academy, it had spread widely among the students. Besides Tang Li, another student named Yang Zishu had also nearly been hit – the one Lu Chang had helped up.

Ming Shu remembered him.

This Yang Zishu had a poor reputation. He had only been at Songling Academy for a year, and though he had passed the children’s examination, he hadn’t participated in the autumn provincial examination and wasn’t among the current candidates. He was Tang Li’s classmate. His family had originally been wealthy merchants in Jiangnan, but later his father had used connections to obtain an honorary title of Outside Secretary, and the family moved to Bianjing. They had spent great effort to send their only son Yang Zishu to Songling Academy, but Yang Zishu, accustomed to being domineering at home, though somewhat restrained at the academy, hadn’t changed for the better, often bullying weaker students from poor families.

Now, for some unknown reason, he had provoked Xie Xi, who was known for his gentlemanly conduct, to such an extent.

Ming Shu was very puzzled.

Of the two involved, one left with the teacher, and one was sent for medical treatment. As the drama in Spring Warmth Pavilion ended, the spectators gradually dispersed. Ming Shu deliberately slowed her pace as she walked forward, clearly hearing the conversation between two passing students.

“Why do you think Young Lord Xie was so violent? He and Zishu haven’t had any interaction before.”

“You don’t understand! That tyrant Yang picks on anyone weaker than him seems he offended Tang Li. Serves him right, falling on stones!”

Their conversation faded as they walked away.

Ming Shu rubbed her temples – these relationships were quite troublesome.

————

The next day was the arrival of Third Prince Zhao Jingran and Minister of State Lu Wenhan.

Ming Shu woke up early, and on her way to find Teacher He’s wife and Madam Lin, she heard about the aftermath of yesterday’s incident.

Although Xie Xi was the one who had fought, given the serious nature of the brawl and today’s important visitors, both parties were punished to prevent any incidents. Yang Zishu was confined to his room today, while Xie Xi, not being an academy student, was originally to be expelled yesterday, but due to the late hour, was allowed to stay one more night and would leave after the honored guests departed, so he too was confined to his room.

Today was when all students were supposed to attend and pay respects to Confucius alongside the Third Prince, followed by examinations in classics and poetry. Though the tests were mainly for the upcoming examination candidates, other students would also have chances to demonstrate their talents. If they could gain the favor of the prince and Minister of State, their future examination path would surely be smoother, making this a day all academy students eagerly anticipated.

Not being able to attend was a huge loss for Yang Zishu.

Ming Shu contemplated this as she listened.

All clerks gathered outside Xue Garden awaiting orders, while the students sat properly in their classrooms waiting. Teacher He’s wife went over all of today’s procedures one more time with everyone outside Xue Garden.

As the sun gradually rose, the entire academy was bathed in beautiful spring light. When the prince’s procession reached the foot of the mountain, the messenger had already arrived at the academy ahead of time. The Academy Master led all students to the main entrance to welcome them, while Teacher He’s wife led Ming Shu and other clerks to wait on the side.

The academy’s main gates were wide open, with welcoming potted plants on both sides. Academy Master Xu Yan led the academy teachers at the front, followed by neatly arranged students in uniform standing at the entrance. To the left stood Teacher He’s wife and her group waiting quietly. Ming Shu, needing to stay close to Teacher He’s wife for instructions, stood quite far forward, able to peek at the entrance by standing slightly on tiptoe.

After waiting a full half-hour, Ming Shu’s legs had grown numb when the sound of the prince’s procession gradually approached. Everyone straightened their clothes and stood at attention.

After the procession, two carriages stopped one after another outside the academy gates. Two people alighted, and the Academy Master went forward to welcome them.

“Songling Academy Master Xu Yan, leading the entire academy, awaits Third Prince and Minister Lu.”

Following the Academy Master’s welcome, all students said in unison: “Students respectfully welcome Third Prince and Minister Lu.”

All male students bowed deeply, while the women present lowered their heads and curtsied.

Ming Shu curtsied with Teacher He’s wife but secretly raised her eyes to look outside. Because of the students’ bows, her view was unobstructed, and she immediately saw Third Prince Zhao Jingran being welcomed in by Xu Yan.

Hmm, Yin Shujun’s rumored husband looked decent – though not particularly handsome, he had clear features and carried the imperial family’s dignity, naturally commanding respect, setting him apart from ordinary people.

At first glance, Ming Shu found him acceptable; Zhao Jingran wasn’t much different from how she had imagined a prince.

Her gaze secretly shifted to the person walking behind Zhao Jingran.

Minister of State Lu Wenhan.

To Ming Shu’s surprise, she had thought someone in the position of Minister of State would surely be very old, definitely a white-haired and bearded elderly man, but the man wearing the crimson official robe before her appeared to be just past forty years old.

He was an elegant and handsome middle-aged man, where the traces of time had brought not decay but rather a naturally commanding presence. Different from Zhao Jingran’s youthful authority, he walked through the academy gates with a smile, his entire bearing as refreshing as a spring breeze.

Ming Shu looked at him, then blinked and looked again.

This Minister Lu not only shared their surname Lu but why did he even look somewhat similar to her brother?

Was this another of her illusions?