Chapter 27: First Day of School, What a Scene

Chapter 27 First Day of School: A Lively Affair

On the twenty-sixth day of the sixth lunar month, in the height of summer, Prince Yihuai formally led his grand army to march directly towards the capital. The wives and children of his generals remained in Maocheng, under the care of Princess Consort Huai, née Zhao.

Seizing the opportunity of the Jiang children enrolling, all the discerning matriarchs sent their legitimate sons and daughters to the Li family's academy.

Firstly, the children would indeed receive excellent instruction. Once Prince Huai's grand ambition was realized, these children, brought into the mansion by Princess Consort Huai, if not utterly beyond redemption, would surely have secure futures.

Secondly, this was an unspoken understanding between Princess Consort Huai and the leading ladies of various families. It wasn't about holding their legitimate children hostage—after all, it was a mutually agreeable arrangement. However, by demonstrating their allegiance at this time, they could earn some goodwill from Princess Consort Huai when she eventually ascended to the position of empress.

Most of the younger children couldn't grasp their elders' intentions. Some well-behaved and clever ones, whether happy or not, generally complied. But there were also many troublemakers who, accustomed to being little tyrants at home, inevitably caused a scene when suddenly sent away.

Thus, on the first official day of school, the Li residence was exceptionally lively!

Jiang Wan, with her two little sidekicks in tow, squatted at the entrance of the courtyard designated as the academy. Her eyes darted back and forth, following the diverse and colorful ways her classmates made their entrances. She watched the spectacle, marveling and sighing.

"It's a good thing you two didn't embarrass me by rolling around like that, or I'd beat you to death."

Jiang Second and Jiang Third quickly pursed their lips in misery, forcing back the tears welling in their eyes. The brother and sister shared a rare moment of telepathic understanding, exchanging a glance before quickly turning away from each other in mutual disdain.

It wasn't that they didn't want to cry; they simply didn't dare.

After all, their eldest sister was as formidable as an elder brother!

Though they didn't fully understand the specific meaning of the threat, Jiang Second and Jiang Third knew their eldest sister well. They understood that her words were rarely idle threats, but rather warnings of inevitable consequences.

Having witnessed enough excitement, Jiang Wan stood up, brushed off nonexistent dust from her clothes, and looked down at her younger siblings.

"I'm heading to my own class now. You two study hard here. Don't bully your classmates, but don't let yourselves be bullied either. If you really can't handle something, call for backup."

"Okay, got it! Eldest sister, don't worry, I'll keep an eye on Jiang Third for you! If he dares to bully anyone again, you can beat him to death later!"

When it came to eating, sleeping, and beating up her younger brother, Jiang Han found it to be her most enjoyable pastime.

"Alright, hurry inside. The teacher will be there soon."

Jiang Wan patted her younger siblings' shoulders and turned to walk towards the Jiusi Study on the left.

It must be said, the ancients truly knew how to teach according to aptitude. All the children in the academy were roughly divided into four classes.

The Heaven Class students were around the age of Prince Huai's eldest son, Li Yuanxiu—seven in total, both boys and girls, all over fifteen years old.

The Earth Class students were in Jiang Wan's age group—ten in total, also a mix of boys and girls, all seemingly over ten years old.

The Mystery Class had the most students, roughly over a dozen, and the Jiang twins blended in without standing out.

The Yellow Class had the fewest children, only four, one of whom was from the Li family itself. After all, they were all around three or four years old, and it was understandable that their mothers were reluctant to send them off to endure the hardships of studying.

As soon as their eldest sister left, the twins immediately felt like crying.

"Wah, Mom, I want to go home!"

Who was that? They've spoken my mind!

Jiang Yaozu sniffled hard and turned to look. A plump child, just like himself, wearing a pretty pink dress, stood at the entrance, crying and wailing with her head thrown back.

"Third brother, what are you looking at?"

"Second sister, look at that chubby girl crying so hard! I can even see the back of her throat!"

Honest Jiang Third spoke his mind, foolishly unaware of controlling his volume, and his words reached the very chubby girl who was crying miserably.

Sun Qingqing turned her head, crying while baring her teeth at the nasty little fatty who had insulted her.

"You're the one who's ugly and fat! My mom says I'm blessed with a fortunate look!"

"Who are you calling ugly? Who isn't a blessed and likable chubby child? You're ugly, you're ugly, you're the ugly one! Your whole family is ugly!"

After being disciplined by his eldest sister so many times, Jiang Third had learned to summarize from each experience. His eldest sister seemed somewhat concerned with appearances; every time he put on his most endearing expression, her strikes would be noticeably lighter.

Since realizing this life-saving trick, the boy had become very protective of his good looks. So, you could call him fat or not smart, but you absolutely could not call him ugly!

This was a bottom line that for someone like him, he could never concede.

Although Jiang Yaozu was the little tyrant at home, Sun Qingqing was also the precious darling cherished by her parents and elders. Being insulted for no reason, this feisty girl, known for her spirited nature since childhood, wouldn't let it slide—that would be truly strange.

So, unsurprisingly, on the first day of school, the two little chubby kids ended up fighting, much to the delight of Jiang Han, who watched with glee.

This little chubby girl is so likable! Yes, yes, kick Jiang Third hard on the butt, that's right!

No matter how lively it got with the younger siblings, Jiang Wan was unaware because she was currently engaged in a physical altercation with a flailing brat.

"Say it, are you going to apologize or not?"

Jiang Wan lightly touched the bruise at the corner of her mouth, asking casually, but each punch she threw was delivered with purposeful force.

Having been in this damn ancient era for so long, this was the first time she’d been beaten up. If she didn't save face, how could she, the legitimate eldest daughter of the Jiang family, continue to make her way in the world?

"I'm not wrong, why should I apologize?"

Li Chengxiu, having lived thirteen years, was truly being beaten for the first time with no ability to fight back. The most infuriating part was that the person beating him was a darn girl!

"Are you even a girl? You she-devil, you tigress! How are you stronger than me? Damn heavens, are you blind?!"

At first, relying on fighting skills, the two were evenly matched, but in a moment of carelessness, Li Chengxiu found himself pinned to the ground by this wretched girl. It felt like a rock was pressing down on him, impossible to shake off.

Punch after punch—his intestines were about to be beaten out of him! This damned girl hits so hard!

"Still daring to mouth off, huh? Today, if I don't beat you until your own mother can't recognize you, I'll write my surname Jiang backwards!"