Upon hearing this, the surroundings fell into a deathly silence.

All eyes were on Gu Zhixing, their expressions varied—some surprised, some disdainful, some whispering—all speculating about the truth.

For a moment, an atmosphere of tension and doubt filled the air.

Seeing the various expressions on everyone's faces, Song Heming became even more certain. He stood up, staring at Gu Zhixing with eyes as sharp as knives, his tone full of resentment and doubt: "Teacher, Gu Zhixing is usually carefree and uneducated. How could he suddenly get a second grade?"

He pondered for a moment, recalling the time when the Master had visited the Princess's residence.

At that time, he learned that the teacher had intended to expel Gu Zhixing from school. The matter was already a done deal, but for some reason it came to nothing.

A thought flashed through Song Heming's mind, and a shrewd glint appeared in his eyes. His tone became increasingly sharp: "Could it be that you were hiding your true abilities before?"

These words shocked everyone in the room.

Hiding one's talents?

Why hide your talents?

Everyone was puzzled.

Gu Yanqing, standing beside Gu Zhixing, changed his expression slightly. His fingers, hanging at his sides, clenched unconsciously, as if his heart was filled with turbulent waves, yet he was forcibly suppressing them.

"If you are hiding your talents, then everything makes sense. But is our Crown Prince hiding his talents?"

Song Heming slowly stood up, walked to Gu Zhixing's side, patted Gu Zhixing's shoulder with a slight pressure in his palm, and said, "If Your Highness is hiding your talents, why not show us your knowledge so we can see just how far Your Highness's learning has come?"

"Has Your Highness read the books 'Classic of Filial Piety' and 'Erya'? Could you tell us about them in detail?"

Gu Zhixing looked up at Song Heming, but didn't say anything; his eyes were cold.

The scope of this monthly exam was the Four Books and Five Classics. Shen Jintang only gave him a crash course in the Four Books and Five Classics. He hadn't read the so-called "Classic of Filial Piety" and "Erya". How could he possibly explain them?

"It's okay if you don't know the Classic of Filial Piety and the Erya, but you should at least have read the Rites of Zhou, the Book of Rites, and the Record of Learning, right?"

Song Hemian, however, refused to give up and pressed Gu Zhixing relentlessly, insisting that he reveal the truth.

Gu Zhixing's expression grew colder, a hint of impatience in his eyes, and he said coldly, "Song Heming, don't push your luck."

However, Song Heming showed no sign of backing down, instead pressing on relentlessly, his tone laced with sarcasm: "Young Master Gu, it's alright if you're not hiding your talents, why not share with us how Your Highness managed to achieve a Grade B in such a short time? Is there any secret to it?"

Among the crowd, a bookish-looking student couldn't help but interject, "Yes, Your Highness, if you have any good study methods, why not share them with us? I've been studying for many years, but I've never found the right way, and I'm quite troubled by it."

His face was full of anticipation, as if he had grasped a glimmer of hope.

The surrounding crowd chimed in, clamoring, "Tell us!"

"Young Master Gu, please enlighten us!"

"Stop hiding it, tell us!"

Seeing everyone pressuring their leader like this, Ye Qingzhou's expression grew increasingly grim.

He stood up abruptly, glared at those who were criticizing Gu Zhixing, and retorted loudly, "Do I need to tell you how my boss learned it? Who do you think you are, and what right do you have to listen?"

Although these words were in Gu Zhixing's favor, they did not provide a direct explanation. Instead, they were evasive, which made people feel that Gu Zhixing might be up to something.

"Is it that you don't want to say it, or that you can't say it, Your Highness?"

Song Heming stared relentlessly into Gu Zhixing's eyes, determined to pin the "cheating" label on him.

"If you cheated, you might as well admit it sooner rather than later. After all, you can't hide something forever!"

The students around Song Hemian nodded in agreement.

Someone said, "That's right. Gu Zhixing always sleeps in class and hangs out with a bunch of bad friends after class. How could he possibly get such a good score?"

"Yeah, he must have cheated, otherwise how could he have improved so quickly!"

Everyone was talking at once, creating a cacophony of noise, and the entire classroom was in complete chaos.

Gu Zhixing could no longer bear it and suddenly stood up, intending to turn back Song Heming's hand that was on his shoulder.

Suddenly, a clear voice rang out amidst the noise: "Your Highness."

The voice was as melodious as a nightingale singing in a valley, instantly piercing through the noisy din.

Upon hearing the sound, Gu Zhixing's heart stirred, and he immediately turned his head.

He saw Shen Jintang walking gracefully toward him.

She was dressed in a simple, elegant dress, her clothes swaying gently in the wind, like a fairy who had stepped out of a painting.

Carrying an exquisite food box, she moved with light steps and a gentle smile, as if a celestial maiden had descended to earth, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

Shen Jintang walked to Gu Zhixing's side, smiled slightly, handed the food box in her hand to Xinghui, and then raised her hand to shake off Song Hemian's hand that was on Gu Zhixing's shoulder.

"Young Master Song, you should keep your hand steady and not let it wander off."

Shen Jintang's movements were understated, yet carried an undeniable resolve.

"you!"

Song Hemian recognized Shen Jintang at a glance, and recalling the unpleasantness from last time, his anger was instantly ignited.

He already harbored resentment towards Gu Zhixing, and now that Shen Jintang was stirring things up, how could he not be furious?

He glared at Shen Jintang, his anger evident in his eyes.

Shen Jintang remained calm and composed, slightly raising her eyes and coldly looking at Song Heming's face. She said indifferently, "The Book of Rites says: 'A gentleman guides people with words and restrains them with actions. Therefore, one must consider the consequences of one's words and examine the potential harm of one's actions. Then the people will be careful in their words and cautious in their actions.'"

"Young Master Song, do you know what this sentence means?"

"I..." Song Hemian opened his mouth, but before he could speak, he was interrupted by Shen Jintang.

"Oh, I was wrong. How could Young Master Song possibly answer that question? After all, Young Master Song filled out the entire exam paper but only received a 'ding' grade."

Shen Jintang spoke these words lightly, as if he were merely stating a perfectly ordinary fact, without the slightest hint of sarcasm.

However, it is precisely this ordinariness that makes people even angrier.

Song Heming felt that all eyes were on him, as if everyone was whispering and pointing.

He was burning with anger and raised his hand to strike Shen Jintang.

Shen Jintang turned around and nimbly hid behind Gu Zhixing.

Seeing this, Gu Zhixing seized Song Heming's wrist and said in a calm but cold tone, "What you just said means that you should be careful about the consequences of your words and weigh the pros and cons of your actions repeatedly."

He looked Song Hemin up and down, shook his head slightly, seemingly with regret and sarcasm: "You haven't done either of these two things!"