When Aunt Fang was sent away, Shen Xiwei cried like a baby. While the dramatic scene of mother and daughter being separated was unfolding, Shen Tangning lowered her head and gently gathered her sleeves, which were fluttering in the wind, but her expression was rather indifferent.

Compared to what she has experienced, this is nothing.

“Yuzhu, send your young lady back to the manor. If anything happens to the second young lady, you may not be able to bear the blame from the Marquis’s manor.”

Yu Zhu looked up and met Shen Tangning's gentle gaze. For some reason, she felt a chill and helped Shen Xiwei up, pleading, "Miss, let's go back."

Yu Zhu dragged Shen Xiwei into the carriage. The latter wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, her eyes hardening: "The humiliation I have suffered today, I will make Shen Tangning pay back a hundredfold in the future!"

A flicker of fear crossed Yu Zhu's eyes as she looked at her young mistress, whose eyes were blinded by hatred, and felt a sense of estrangement.

She chose this path herself, so she has no one to blame but herself for ending up in this predicament. Yet she blames everything on the young lady!

Recalling Shen Tangning's smiling, effortless manner, Yuzhu's heart sank. Could her young lady really defeat the eldest young lady?

——

Having confirmed that her mother was out of danger, Shen Tangning had no reason to stay at the Shen family any longer, so she returned to the Chi family in the afternoon.

Chi Yan's days at the Hanlin Academy were still unremarkable, but he adjusted his mindset and was no longer as disheartened and frustrated as he had been at the beginning.

This position can be both leisurely and busy.

The duties of the compilers included compiling books and history, drafting imperial edicts, and recording the emperor's words and deeds.

However, His Majesty has not yet summoned him, so Chi Yan can only stay in the square Hanlin Academy and handle some miscellaneous matters.

"How could such a trivial matter trouble the top scholar to come in person?"

Someone tried to take the work from him, but Chi Yan picked up the history book, held it to his chest, and refused with a smile: "Now that I've taken on this job, I'm the same as everyone else. I can't just come here to freeload, can I?"

He paused, then added with a hint of sarcasm, "Besides, where is this? This is the Hanlin Academy, a gathering place for outstanding talents. In terms of rank, I'm not even in the top tier, but in terms of seniority, everyone here is ahead of me."

His humility left the other man speechless, and he left awkwardly.

He glanced at Chi Yan intentionally or unintentionally, but Chi Yan seemed oblivious and quickly returned to his work.

The work of sorting out errors in historical records requires extreme meticulousness. As the sun gradually set in the west, its light shone through the carved window lattice onto Chi Yan. He was bent over his desk, intently writing something down, sometimes frowning and sometimes relaxing.

In the corridor, two middle-aged men exchanged a glance. One of them, an older man with a white beard, spoke first: "This Chi Yan is quite rare among young people. He is a man who can keep his composure."

"Everyone knows that the Hanlin Academy is a good place and the fastest way to get close to the center of power. Many people come here with the mentality of just getting by, and the unhealthy trend has been formed for a long time. The headmaster is doing this to test him."

The academy head chuckled and said, "Being tempered at the grassroots level is the best way to hone one's skills. Whether one becomes a dragon or a worm depends on oneself. If someone is a cunning and deceitful person who dreams of using this place to rise to the top in one step, I would find it dirty!"

Their eyes met, and they smiled knowingly.

*

Following Aunt Fang's instructions, Liu Yi went to Willow Flower Lane to look for her nephew, but found nothing.

He went over and looked at the bedding. The sheets were wrinkled and there was a strand of hair on the pillow, proving that someone had slept there last night. His brow furrowed, and he knew something was wrong; he had arrived too late.