Chapter 9 - ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 9
After some explanation, the young gentleman finally understood the ins and outs of the matter. His slightly furrowed brow relaxed a bit, and he nodded to Li Zhizhi, saying, “Thank you, young lady, for saving my younger sister. I apologize for the presumption and will send someone to express my grat.i.tude another day.”
A Yang quickly added, “Brother, she said she would teach me how to climb trees!”
The young gentleman glanced briefly at A Yang, and she immediately fell silent, looking somewhat aggrieved. Li Zhizhi smiled and introduced herself, saying, “My surname is Li, and my name is Zhizhi. There’s no need for you to come and thank me. It was just a small gesture; there’s no need to make a fuss.”
“Oh, so you are Miss Li,” the young gentleman said thoughtfully, not insisting further. He spoke warmly, “I also owe you a favor. If there’s anything I can do to help, please feel free to ask.”
Li Zhizhi’s gaze fell on the letter in his hand. This man had a good appearance, handsome and refined, but unfortunately not upright in his conduct. She had never heard of him before, and more importantly, he was a man.
All the students in Mingyuan were young ladies, and apart from them, there were only teachers and servants. This man didn’t seem like a servant, so could he be one of the teachers?
Li Zhizhi felt a bit doubtful, thinking he seemed too young for that role.
The young gentleman seemed to have guessed what Li Zhizhi was thinking. He rolled up the letter and smiled, “I am Liu He, a lecturer at Yitang.”
To her surprise, he was indeed a teacher. Although Li Zhizhi was astonished, she didn’t reveal it on her face and paid her respects as a student, saying, “Mr. Liu.”
Liu He’s lips curved slightly at the gesture, and he said, “Miss Li, you saved my younger sister, and I must repay this kindness. I don’t have many valuable items, so I can only offer these ordinary gifts.”
As he spoke, he signaled to the maidservant beside him, who immediately came forward and opened a handkerchief, revealing a handful of golden melon seeds.
This display of generosity surprised Li Zhizhi, and she couldn’t help but take a sharp breath. She looked at Liu He again; this was called not having many valuable items? In truth, for a moment, Li Zhizhi was tempted. With some wealth at hand, she would have more options and more confidence in dealing with various situations. Even if something unexpected happened in the future, Li Zhizhi could handle it.
However, after a moment, she forced herself to look away from the glittering golden melon seeds and composed her thoughts. She couldn’t accept this.
Someone who could casually produce such valuable items must come from an influential background, and Li Zhizhi was well aware of her own worth. Her previous actions were far from deserving such a precious reward. When things appeared unusual, there must be hidden dangers. It was best to be cautious. She didn’t want to invite trouble just because of a momentary desire for riches.
With this in mind, Li Zhizhi politely declined, “Mr. Liu, you are too kind. It was just a small gesture; I cannot accept such a generous gift. If it were someone else instead of A Yang up on the tree, I would still extend my helping hand.”
Although she said that, she silently thought in her heart, “But if it’s those three people from Li Suwan, it may not be the same.”
Liu He looked at Li Zhizhi, his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed, hiding the curiosity and deliberation in his eyes. Then he smiled and said, “Alright, since you refuse to accept the gift, do you have any other request?”
He seemed determined to repay this favor today. Li Zhizhi hesitated for a moment and decided to speak up, saying, “There is indeed one thing I’d like to ask for your help with.”
Liu He’s expression seemed as if he had expected her request. He asked, “What is it?”
Li Zhizhi blushed and said, “Today is my first day at Mingyuan, and I’m supposed to go to Mingde Hall to study. However, due to the delay just now, I missed the time for cla.s.s, and I’m afraid I might be scolded by the teacher. So… can I ask Mr. Liu to help me explain the situation?”
Apparently, Liu He didn’t expect her request to be this simple, and he seemed slightly surprised before asking, “Just this?”
Li Zhizhi nodded, and Liu He instructed his servant girl, saying, “Qingluo, accompany Miss Li to Mingde Hall.”
The servant girl acknowledged and bowed to Li Zhizhi, saying, “Miss, please follow me.”
As they watched the two figures disappear down the path, Liu He turned to his sister, who was squatting nearby, playing with a black cat, and curiously asked, “Brother, why did you lie just now? Your name is not Liu He.”
Liu He, or rather Xiao Yan, slightly narrowed his phoenix eyes and glanced at her, saying, “This girl is quite scheming. Should I have revealed my real name, so she could use that as leverage for her request?”
A Yang looked puzzled and asked, “Scheming… what does that mean? Is it tasty?”
Xiao Yan sighed, “Never mind, I can’t explain it to you.”
Having a sharp memory since childhood, Xiao Yan recognized Li Zhizhi’s voice and recalled the incident when she conspired with a wandering Taoist to deceive his father. He wondered if the Minister of Revenue, Li Cen, had believed her story.
Originally, Xiao Yan thought that this matter had nothing to do with him. However, he didn’t expect that Li Zhizhi would save A Yang today. Earlier, he did have some testing intentions, but to his surprise, Li Zhizhi declined. Her eyes showed interest, but she managed to restrain herself… it was intriguing.
Xiao Yan reached out and petted the black cat on his knee, thinking, “She didn’t want gold or silver, so she must have other motives. Besides, if she is going to Mingde Hall to study, why take this secluded path? Could it be…”
A Yang was completely unaware of these thoughts and enthusiastically said, “Brother, Sister is so good at climbing trees. Can A Yang go play with her?”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan gave her a warning glance and said, “No, she is not a good person. Stay away from her, lest you end up with nothing but trouble one day.”
A Yang looked unhappy and muttered under her breath, “But Auntie said you’re not a good person either, so aren’t you a perfect match?”
Xiao Yan couldn’t bear it anymore and lightly scolded her by tapping her forehead with a book, saying, “Nonsense! If you don’t behave, I’ll send you back to the palace.”
A Yang pouted, and tears welled up in her beautiful big eyes, “You’re bullying me! I’m going to tell Auntie, wuwuwu…”
Xiao Yan didn’t care and said, “Go ahead, I’ll take you back. You’re such a troublemaker all the time.”
…
In the Mingde Hall,
It was cla.s.s time, and today, Wu was giving a lecture. He was dressed in dark blue robes, with white hair, holding a book in his hand. He would read a sentence, and the students would repeat it, creating a harmonious rhythm of reading in the hall.
Li Suwan’s gaze swept around, but she couldn’t find Li Zhizhi’s figure anywhere. She didn’t know where she had gone. There was a hint of schadenfreude in her heart, as Wu was known to be strict and stern. It didn’t matter if Li Zhizhi didn’t show up today, but if she came in the middle of the cla.s.s, she would undoubtedly be scolded.
As if on cue, Li Zhizhi arrived with another person. Li Suwan immediately spotted her; she even forgot to continue reading and kept looking outside.
Wu noticed her distraction and frowned, sternly saying, “Li Suwan.”
Li Suwan was startled and quickly stood up. Wu’s sharp eyes stared at her, asking, “Where did you stop just now?”
Li Suwan didn’t expect to be the first one to be scolded. Her face flushed, and she felt the burning sensation on her cheeks. She bit her lower lip lightly, wanting to lower her head and continue reading, but Wu pressed the book with a ruler, not allowing her to move. He sounded displeased as he said, “Your focus is not on the study. What are you reading?”
Li Suwan couldn’t stand being treated this way. She cursed the old man in her heart but could only nod and say, “I, I know I made a mistake…”
“Where did you make a mistake?”
Li Suwan felt Li Zhizhi’s gaze, filled with a sense of watching a show. She felt extremely embarra.s.sed and blinked her eyes, and tears started to flow. Seeing her cry, Wu didn’t show any mercy; on the contrary, he said without hesitation, “If you want to cry, go outside and cry. Come back after you finish crying.”
After saying this, she ordered her to leave. Li Suwan’s face turned pale, but she had no choice. This was Mingyuan, and even someone with a background like Rong’an County Princess had to obey the teacher’s words. The head of the school in Mingyuan was Princess Yongning Chang, and in the past, there were people who offended the teacher and were eventually expelled, becoming a laughingstock.
Li Suwan regretted deeply in her heart, but she could only grit her teeth and walk out under the watchful eyes of everyone. Li Zhizhi stood outside the door, a playful smile on her face, and Li Suwan gave her a hateful glare.
Finally, Wu Jiangshu noticed Li Zhizhi’s presence and furrowed his brows, saying, “Who are you? This is the teaching place, and unauthorized people are not allowed to enter.”
Li Zhizhi lowered her head slightly and performed a standard disciple’s greeting, saying, “Student pays respect to the teacher.”
Hearing this, Wu Jiangshu immediately looked displeased and asked, “Are you a new student? Why are you late?”
Just then, the maid by Li Zhizhi’s side spoke up, “Mr. Wu.”
Wu Jiangshu looked at her and seemed to remember something, he paused for a moment, “You are…”
The maid named Qingluo smiled and said, “Mr. Wu, may I have a word with you in private?”
Wu Jiangshu went out, and the students in the room started whispering, many of them sizing up Li Zhizhi and speculating about her ident.i.ty.
Xiao Man furrowed her eyebrows and muttered to herself, “Isn’t she from the Li family?”
“What’s wrong?” Zhao Shan’er, sitting next to her, leaned over slightly and asked, “Do you know her?”
Xiao Man replied, “I saw her standing next to Suwan this morning, she must be the relative she mentioned.”
Zhao Shan’er suddenly realized and sneered, “That poor relative? I thought she had some powerful backing, but she’s just a n.o.body. She came late to cla.s.s, yet Mr. Wu didn’t scold her.”
Xiao Man remained silent, her eyebrows furrowing even tighter. The Li family didn’t have much influence, with Li Cen being just a Ministry official. But that maid…
Zhao Shan’er seemed to have noticed something as well and said in surprise, tugging at Xiao Man’s sleeve, “Isn’t that Princess Yongning Chang’s personal maid? I saw her at the palace banquet last time, how could she be here?”
Through the door, they could see the maid talking to Mr. Wu, and the usually stern Wu Jiangshu nodded repeatedly. Then, he said something to the girl beside him, showing a hint of appreciation on his face.
Zhao Shan’er was puzzled, “This is indeed something unexpected. How could the poor relative of the Li family get involved with someone close to Princess Yongning Chang?”
Xiao Man was also perplexed. She glanced at Li Suwan, who looked surprised as well. What had happened between them?
Contrary to everyone’s expectations, the usually strict Wu Jiangshu did not scold the late student. Instead, he personally led her into the study room. After looking around and finding no empty seats, he pointed to Li Suwan’s desk and said, “You can sit there.”
Li Zhizhi obediently complied and sat down behind the desk. Li Suwan, who was outside the door, overheard this and was so infuriated that her face turned white. She clenched her fist tightly in her sleeve, feeling the nails digging into her palm.