Chapter 29: Discussion

Chapter 29: Deliberation

"Big brother, what brings you here?"

Li Yanxiu offered a respectful smile, but as his gaze fell upon Li Yuxiu and the others behind Li Yuanxiu, the warmth in his eyes instantly chilled.

Second Brother Li smugly raised an eyebrow.

*Yeah, it was me who tipped off the big brother. What are you gonna do about it?*

Song Ziying, the eldest daughter of the Song family, standing beside Li Yuanxiu, slightly furrowed her beautiful willow-leaf eyebrows, her eyes tinged with concern as she looked at Li Yanxiu.

Chang Yuning, the second daughter of the Chang family, quickly walked over from behind and took her place beside Li Yanxiu. Though she didn't utter a word, her stance conveyed her message clearly.

The eldest sons of the Ji and Sun families, however, remained rooted, quietly observing from the sidelines.

Li Yuanxiu didn't answer his third brother's question. Instead, he shot a glance at his fourth brother, the troublemaker, and angrily jabbed a finger at him twice.

"Just you wait—I’ll settle accounts with you later!"

He then quickly turned and offered a polite apology to Jiang Wan.

"Miss Jiang, my sincerest apologies. It is entirely my fault as the eldest brother for failing to properly discipline my younger brother. I never imagined he would dare to lay a hand on a young lady—he truly deserves a good lesson! I offer my deepest apologies to you, Miss Jiang. Please rest assured, you will not suffer this injustice in vain. I will make sure to punish him severely later!"

"You flatter me, First Young Master."

Jiang Wan, ever mindful of propriety, gracefully sidestepped, avoiding Li Yuanxiu's bow. After all, he was the future Crown Prince—it was best not to cause trouble for her parents. Moreover, given the subtle dynamics among these individuals, she had no desire to get involved.

"You may have misunderstood somewhat. Fourth Brother Li and I both happen to be born with considerable strength, which naturally led to a sense of mutual recognition and camaraderie. We simply couldn’t resist testing each other’s skills—nothing more than that."

Li Chengxiu, upon hearing that this fierce girl had mercifully let him off the hook, quickly nodded with a face full of gratitude.

"Yes, yes! Wan Jieer and I hit it off right away! As family, it’s only natural to exchange a few moves…"

Noticing the fierce girl baring her teeth again, Li Chengxiu reconsidered his words and immediately corrected himself.

"Not family! We’re like siblings, siblings, how about that? Wan Jieer, Fourth Brother thanks you!"

He whispered the last sentence bitterly, leaning in close.

Jiang Wan glanced around, taking in the clearly unusual situation among the Li brothers present, and decisively chose to make a quick exit.

"Fourth Brother Li and I indeed became acquainted through a fight. I look forward to your continued guidance in the future. It’s getting late, and since there’s nothing else going on, perhaps we should all hurry back to our respective classrooms. It wouldn’t do to be caught by the teacher later."

For students, the authority of a teacher is irreplaceable. Even Li Yuanxiu, already seventeen years old, had no desire to act improperly in front of the teacher.

With a wave of his hand, everyone quickly retreated the way they had come.

Before leaving, however, Li Yanxiu shot a warning glare at his younger brother, leaving Li Chengxiu feeling utterly wronged.

"I’m the one who got beaten up—why is he glaring at me? Why doesn’t he glare at you? It’s so unfair!"

Jiang Wan shot a glance at this idiot.

If she weren’t trying to maintain her ladylike demeanor, she would have loved to lift her skirt and kick him again.

She had been careless at first and suffered a loss at his hands. Her mother would surely worry if she saw the marks later that evening.

Unable to bother with this scoundrel any longer, she calmly straightened her appearance and walked into the classroom with dignified steps.

Throughout the day, Jiang Wan’s first day at ancient-style school went quite well. Thanks to her readiness to act—beating up the unpopular Li Laosi—she became an instant legend in Jiusi Study.

While some were unwilling to associate with someone who broke the rules, there were also those with peculiar tastes in friends who eagerly positioned themselves as the close confidante of the Jiang family’s eldest daughter.

"Wan Jieer, I really admire you, you know? To be honest, I begged my mother for a long time before she agreed to send me here. It was all for you!"

Ji Jingshu, whose name suggested tranquility, was anything but—visibly lively and unrestrained, she chattered away without pause.

"Ever since that day at your family’s banquet when you dealt with that woman from the Zhu family, you’ve been the person I admire most, you know? It was from that day onward that I made up my mind to learn from you—to kick out all those vixens who try to replace my mother! Good sister, why not teach me a few moves? I’ll follow you from now on. Wan Jieer, dear Wanwan…"

This endless stream of chatter gave Jiang Wan reason to suspect that her parents had given her this name with some specific hopes.

But clearly, it hadn’t had the desired effect.

"Stop! Classmate Ji, please return to your seat. We can talk after class. The teacher is coming."

"Okay!"

Ji Jingshu scurried back to her seat in a flash.

Old Master Bai walked in with measured steps, glanced at the two children with bruised faces, and, recalling the message from the Princess Consort, decided to pretend nothing had happened.

He opened his book and began the lesson.

Diligent sparrows came out to forage for food. After watching all the excitement in the courtyard, they fluttered their wings and chirped as they flew out, finally landing on the tall tree in the backyard, where they eagerly shared the spectacle they had just witnessed with their companions.

In Ruijing Hall, Zhao Shi was taking tea with a beautiful woman.

"Sister, what do you think of my idea just now?"

Qiao Yunshu took a sip of tea and, after a moment, replied.

"Since Sister thinks highly of that Jiang girl, she must have her merits. You decide—I trust your judgment."

Zhao Shi smiled faintly upon hearing this.

"Look at what an irresponsible thing to say! You are Third Brother’s birth mother—how can I alone decide his marriage?"

After laughing, she sighed.

"But to be honest, if the eldest hadn’t already verbally agreed to a marriage with the Song family, I would have loved to try matching Jiang Wan with him. Still, Song Ziying is also quite good—she’s spent some time with the eldest, so it wouldn’t be right for me to do something so improper. That’s why I thought of Third Brother. Second Brother’s status isn't high enough. If I really proposed it, not even Xu Ruoyu would agree, let alone Jiang Huailiang."

Qiao Yunshu hadn’t met Jiang Wan yet—she had been ill and missed the Jiang family’s banquet. But hearing Zhao Shi speak so highly of her piqued her curiosity.

"Why do you have such a favorable impression of the Jiang girl?"

"It’s not that I have a favorable impression of the girl—it’s that I have a favorable impression of a daughter of the Xu family from Gaoyang."

Zhao Shi looked at Qiao Shi.

"Sister, you may not know this, but Jiang Wan’s birth mother is none other than Xu Ruojin, one of the two famous beauties who once took the capital by storm. She was truly a woman of both talent and beauty. If the Xu family’s fortunes hadn’t taken such a turn, who knows—she might have been the one sitting on the phoenix throne in the palace today!"